BHUBANESWAR: National general secretary of BJP Sunil Bansal on Sunday stressed the importance of streamlining the electoral process by holding simultaneous elections across the country to bring political stability, a necessary ingredient for rapid economic growth.
Addressing a symposium on ‘One Nation One Election’ at SOA University here, Bansal said India being the world’s largest democracy, faces numerous challenges due to its continuous election processes. In order to address these challenges, there is a push to reform the system by implementing one election for the states and the nation.
“The ‘One Nation One Election’ model will streamline the electoral process and boost India’s development and prosperity by reducing the disruptions caused by frequent elections. With a more stable and focused government, social welfare initiatives and reforms could be implemented more effectively leading to social progress,” he said. Making a comparison, Bansal pointed out that while the 2019 general election cost around Rs 60,000 crore, expenditure for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls reached around Rs 1.35 lakh crore. “This translates to an average cost of approximately Rs 1,400 per vote. Given these figures, the 2024 Lok Sabha election can be considered the most expensive in India’s electoral history. Frequent elections in the country result in an expenditure of Rs 4-Rs 7 lakh crore,” he said.
The BJP leader further added that one election will boost economic growth and reduce unforeseen campaign expenses. “The savings from this approach will be equivalent to 1.5 per cent of India’s GDP. Moreover, continuous enforcement of the model code of conduct during elections disrupts policymaking and affects the implementation of various government welfare schemes,” he said.
State BJP president Manmohan Samal said the savings from one election system can be utilised for education, health, infrastructure and other developmental projects. This approach will also enhance administrative efficiency and alleviate pressure on security forces, ultimately providing ample time for collective development.
Rajya Sabha MP Sujit Kumar, state BJP vice-president Biranchi Narayan Tripathy and student leaders from different districts also participated in the debate.