New Delhi: Just two days after Election Commission proposed holding one election a year as an alternative to simultaneous polls, BJP president Amit Shah has written to Law Commission batting for one nation, one poll to ensure that the nation is not in "election mode" throughout the year.
In his letter, Shah said the claim that holding two sets of polls was against the federal structure of the country is a "baseless" argument. On the contrary, he said, it would strengthen the federal structure of the country.
The law panel, which is examining the feasibility of holding simultaneous polls, had sought the views of the political parties before finalising its report.
Both the BJP and the Congress had stayed away from consultation organised by the commission in this regard last month.
PM Modi, while addressing the governing council of NITI Aayog on June 17, had called for a "widespread" debate on holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and said if implemented, it would result in savings.
The NITI Aayog had last year suggested synchronised, two-phase Lok Sabha and Assembly polls from 2024.
The Law Commission's draft paper titled "Simultaneous Elections - Constitutional and Legal Perspectives" has recommended amendments to the Constitution and the Representation of People's Act, 1950 to facilitate and sustain the concept of simultaneous polls.
The Congress, on its part, has called the idea "misplaced". The Trinamool Congress and the CPI have not shown great enthusiasm for the idea and say it is against federal structure of the Constitution. However, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav welcomed PM Modi’s proposal for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies
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