PM Modi makes fresh pitch for ‘one nation, one election’, says it is ‘need of India’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on November 26, made a fresh pitch for the ‘One Nation, One Election’ system and one voters’ list, stating that elections taking place every few months hinders development.

Addressing the concluding session of the 80^th All India Presiding Officers Conference here via video conference, Modi also paid homage to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and asserted that India is fighting terrorism now with new policy and new process.

Explained: Is India ready for 'One Nation One Election'?

 On November 26, 2008, ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan killed 166 people, including 18 security personnel, in a 60-hour siege in Mumbai.

Making a strong pitch for simultaneous elections on the Constitution Day, Modi said that ‘One Nation, One Election’ was not “just an issue of deliberation, but also the need of the country”.

Explained: The debate around 'One Nation One Election' and why the Opposition is wary of it

“Elections are held at different places every few months and it hampers the developmental work and all of you know it. Therefore, it is must to have deep study and deliberation on ‘One Nation, One Election’,” he said. PM Modi also said that having a single voters’ list was desirable and added: “Only one voters' list should be used for Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and other elections. Why are we wasting time and money on these lists?”

Notably, ‘One Nation, One Election’ has been a key electoral reform that the NDA government has been pushing for in the face of stiff opposition from other parties.

He also emphasised the need for coordination between three wings of the state -- Legislature, Executive and Judiciary -- and said everything from these institutes' roles to their decorum is described in the Constitution.

“In the 1970s, we saw how there was an attempt to breach the dignity of separation of power, but the country got the answer only from the Constitution. After that period of Emergency, the system of checks and balances became stronger and stronger.”

“The Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, all three learned a lot from that period and moved forward,” the Prime Minister said.