Support ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal: Sukhbir

Jalandhar: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was quick to support the Modi government’s decision to set up a committee to explore the feasibility of implementing the ‘One Nation One Election’ proposal even as most opposition parties have opposed or flagged their concerns about the idea. Akali Dal has been consistently supporting this idea for at least five years now.SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday welcomed and supported the ‘One Nation One Election’ proposal and said there was a need for evolving a nationwide consensus on this issue. “The idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections will provide much needed stability, besides curbing wasteful expenditure. In the present system, the government machinery remains busy in election mode which affects smooth governance and development,” said Sukhbir.Akali Dal, which snapped its almost quarter-century-old partnership with BJP over the three contentious farm laws in September 2020, even supported the concept as the NDA constituent. Akalis had supported the move when the Law Commission held a two-day consultation with political parties on the issue in July 2018. Just after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Akali Dal once again gave its reasons for supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘one nation one election.’SAD senior vice-president Prem Singh Chandumajra had argued at the time that going by the last three decades or so, India has perpetually been in an election mode and every year some or the other state was holding elections. Apart from stating that the model code of conduct, when implemented, puts brakes on all developmental works, he had argued that one year in five years should be declared the election year, during which every type of election should be held and the rest four years should be devoted exclusively to development.