THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution against the 'One Nation One Election' proposal, describing it as anti-constitutional and urging the central government not to implement it.
The resolution, moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. B. Rajesh on behalf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, criticised the proposal submitted by the high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind. It was described as reflecting "an anti-democratic mindset" and being in opposition to constitutional values, undermining the parliamentary democratic system.
“The proposal is also viewed as a sinister ploy to nix the socio-cultural and political diversity of the country,” the resolution stated.
The committee has proposed holding simultaneous elections for the parliament and state assemblies, followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
The resolution warned that if implemented, the proposal would centralise power and lead to a unitary administration according to the agenda of the RSS and BJP.
“If implemented, the proposal will dilute the powers of the state legislative assemblies and make the local bodies, that function as local governments, irrelevant. That way, it will disrupt the decentralisation of power and negate the involvement of the public in the democratic processes,” it read.
It also pointed out that viewing elections through the lens of expenses alone is undemocratic, and simpler measures are available to curtail costs and streamline administration.
“The proposal disrupts federalism, which is a fundamental aspect of the constitution, and violates the powers enjoyed by the states. It also challenges the sovereignty of the public,” the resolution concluded.