Akhilesh dares BJP to hold simultaneous elections in UP in 2019

Buoyant after the opposition's victory in the recently concluded bypolls, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has challenged the BJP to hold 2019 Lok Sabha and state assembly elections simultaneously in Uttar Pradesh.

"We have no problem if the voters' list is linked with Aadhaar number. We have no problems with 'one nation one election'. I ask them (BJP) to implement 'one nation one election' from 2019 itself and hold UP Assembly polls with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections," he told a press conference at the Samajwadi Party headquarters.

A state panel has recommended simultaneous polls, echoing a suggestion by the Law Commission of India and PM Narendra Modi's own view.

However, Akhilesh said, "No suggestion was taken from us on this issue."

A report in this regard was submitted on Tuesday by UP health minister Sidharth Nath Singh, who headed the seven-member committee constituted by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

In 2017, PM Narendra Modi and former President Pranab Mukherjee pitched the idea of simultaneous elections on the basis of a Parliamentary Standing Committee report of 2015. Modi said simultaneous polls would help reduce the expenses as well as the burden on the education sector (teachers) and security forces who are deployed during the elections.

The Election Commission of India (EC) supported the idea, calling it ‘achievable’ and ‘desirable’ as long as the financial and legal challenges are overcome. The EC said five constitutional amendments will be required to hold simultaneous elections.

To initially sync the two elections, a lot of them will have to be preponed or postponed, effectively bringing President’s Rule for that period of time.

In May, the EC then came up with a Plan B to hold one election in one year as it required fewer constitutional amendments.

The Congress has maintained that simultaneous elections would be an attack on democracy. Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India- Marxist, Trinamool Congress are all opposed to the idea as well.

Amit Shah said simultaneous elections wouldn’t be feasible for 2019 as there is no political consensus on the issue as yet.

NITI Aayog has been in favour of the move as they claim it will reduce ‘campaign disruption’.

Currently it looks highly unlikely that simultaneous elections will take place in India anytime soon due to varying opinions in the political community and logistical difficulties.