BENGALURU: Holding multiple elections around the year is one of the biggest hurdles preventing India from transforming into ‘Viksit Bharat’ (a developed nation), the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday.
Advocating strongly for the “One Nation, One Election” proposal, the senior BJP leader said that constant election cycles drain the country’s time, energy, and resources. He was speaking at an interaction programme on “One Nation, One Election” organised by the BJP.
“India’s path to becoming a Viksit Bharat is being delayed because leaders, officials, and political workers are in campaign mode all year long, pushing the governance to the background,” Chouhan said.
He mentioned that leaders from all political parties are forced to prepare for elections every month. Citing his experience, he said, “I was made Agriculture Minister, and just four days into the role, the party asked me to go to Jharkhand for campaigning.
How can anyone focus on ministerial duties in such a situation?” he asked. He argued that if all elections — from Lok Sabha to Vidhan Sabha — were held together, ministers and party workers would be able to dedicate the remaining four to five years fully to public service.
“Why should our country keep wasting crores of rupees, government machinery, and party funds every few months? Even updating the voters’ list is a huge task. And then comes the publicity, campaigning, and mobilisation,” the minister said. The union minister urged social media influencers also to join a movement.