CHENNAI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reiterated that the “One Nation, One Election” initiative is not a hastily-made political decision but a result of a comprehensive study conducted by a high-level committee and all parties must support it.
Speaking at a seminar held at a private college near Chennai on Saturday, the minister said that implementation of simultaneous polls will begin only after the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and it will come into effect only in the 2034 parliamentary elections.
“The Constitution 129th Amendment Bill 2024 and the Union Territories Laws Amendment Bill 2024 are crucial steps in moving towards synchronised elections. Contrary to the narrative, this was not a decision taken in haste or by a few bureaucrats. A committee, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, has studied the matter thoroughly and engaged with representatives of 47 political parties. Of them, 32 parties supported the initiative including parties from TN,” she said.
Sitharaman pointed out that India had simultaneous polls during the 1957 general elections, and it was only due to political instability and misuse of Article 356 in the 1960s and 1970s that frequent elections became the norm.