Karnal, December 11
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday voiced support for holding simultaneous elections to the state assemblies and the Lok Sabha in the country, saying that the frequent elections are a "waste" of both time and money.
Chouhan pointed out that frequent elections cause delays in public welfare and lead to huge expenditures of 'public' money.
The Union Agriculture Minister was addressing a public rally in Haryana's Karnal when he raised concerns about the impact of multiple elections on governance.
"I am an agriculture minister, but when the elections came, I was busy campaigning for the elections for three months. It wastes the time of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Ministers, MPs, MLAs, officers, and employees, and all the development work comes to a standstill. Then new announcements have to be made," Chouhan said.
"Public welfare works are left behind; not only this, there is a huge expenditure; the Election Commission also spends; that money is of the public, and then political parties also spend money in the elections. So much time is wasted. Now if there are elections in other states, Haryana's officers will go as observers. Your work here will come to a standstill for 2-3 months. If they go there and conduct elections, then there is only destruction, the Union Minister added.
Chouhan further emphasised the need to create public awareness regarding the benefits of simultaneous elections. He stated, "It is a waste of time and a waste of money; it hinders our development. These elections are always going to happen, and therefore, by amending the Constitution, all the assembly and Lok Sabha elections should be held together once in 5 years; for this, we should create public awareness."
Notably, in September this year, the Union Cabinet approved the government's 'One Nation, One Election' proposal, which proposes simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, along with urban body and panchayat polls to be held within 100 days.
The recommendations were made in a report of a high panel committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind.
Following the Cabinet's approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the decision to approve the 'One Nation, One Election' and said that the decision is a step towards making India's democracy even more vibrant and participative.
"The Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections. I compliment our former President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji for spearheading this effort and consulting a wide range of stakeholders. This is an important step towards making our democracy even more vibrant and participative," PM Modi posted on X.