Key Points:
- Focus should be on holding key elections together so that development work is not hindered, said Modi.
- The One Nation, One Election idea was first pitched by Modi in 2015. It is also on the agenda of his Bharatiya Janata Party.
- “Every few months, we see an election in some part of the country. You all know what is the impact of these polls on development. There is a need for a deeper study and discussion on the issue and I suggest that presiding officers may lead such discussions,” Modi said.
After mentioning it in the Agenda of Bharatiya Janata Party, Prime Minister Modi, on November 26, while addressing the presiding officers of legislatures from across India, spoke about ‘ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION’ idea. The PM said that the idea cannot be limited to just a discussion and instead is the need of the country currently.
While the virtual address, PM Modi also suggested that there must be a ‘Common Voter List’ for all the elections to make things easier. The PM maintained that simultaneous elections at every level should be held using a common voter list.
PM Modi said that the recurring elections hinder the development of the nation.
“After every few months, the country sees elections at some parts of it. You all know the impact of these polls on development. A need for deeper study and discussion on the matter is essential and I suggest governing officers may lead such discussions,”
Modi said.
What is ‘One Nation, One Election’?
Simply put, ‘One Nation, One Election’ idea refers to conducting elections for State Legislatures, Lok Sabha and Panchayats simultaneously every 5 years.
This came after the Prime Minister coined KYC as Know Your Constitution and appealed to the youngsters to know the documents well.
Know Your Customer डिजिटल सुरक्षा का अहम पहलू है।
उसी तरह KYC यानि Know Your Constitution हमारे संवैधानिक सुरक्षा कवच को भी मजबूत कर सकता है।
इसलिए संविधान के प्रति जागरूकता के लिए निरंतर अभियान भी चलाते रहना चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/gNpy12JQAS
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 26, 2020
Naming the idea a “back-door way of replacing our parliamentary democracy”, Congress last year, skipped a meeting and has been strongly resisting the idea.
The prime minister also paid tributes to the security forces and said India was fighting terrorism with new policies. Thursday marked 12 years of the Mumbai terror attacks.