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“One nation, one election” will ensure stability of democracy: U.P. CM Yogi
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomes the formation of a committee to explore the possibility of "one nation, one election," saying it will accelerate development and ensure stability of democracy. However, the Samajwadi Party criticizes the decision, calling it anti-Constitutional and an attempt to establish a monarchy. Other political leaders urge for further deliberation on the process and expenses involved.
Welcoming the formation of a committee by the Centre for exploring the possibility of “one nation, one election”, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the decision would accelerate development, bring prosperity into every citizen’s life besides ensuring stability of democracy.
In a statement on Friday, he said it was an innovative initiative that was need of the hour. Yogi said stability was of utmost importance in the country. He said in a democratic system, a dynamic government was also required along with stability. From this point of view, the “one nation, one election” would be a commendable effort, he added.
“It is a pleasure to know that a committee has been formed for one nation, one election under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind. On behalf of the people of Uttar Pradesh, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this innovative initiative,” he said.
The CM said from the point of view of a state like Uttar Pradesh, it’s essential because frequent elections hindered development work. “It becomes necessary to conduct Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and all other elections simultaneously, which takes at least a month-and-a-half and hampers the pace of development or policy decisions,” he said in the statement.
“This is an excellent initiative that will not only accelerate development but will also ensure the prosperity and stability of democracy, benefiting the lives of every citizen. I welcome this wholeheartedly”, Yogi said.
Meanwhile, attacking the BJP government over the issue, Samajwadi Party (SP) national general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya alleged that “the decision was anti-Constitutional and an evil attempt to murder democracy and establish ‘monarchy’.”
“I flay the decision of the government and call upon all to unite to save democracy. If we don’t do so, they will alter the Constitution,” Maurya commented on X. Another SP leader IP Singh commented on X in Hindi: “Modi ji’s philosophy is elections should not happen again and again till he is around”.
Anupam Mishra, national convener of Team RLD (Rashtriya Lok Dal), said: “A committee has been formed. Let it estimate what is the expense of doing this exercise and communicate to the country what will be the process followed in case of political instability in a state which experiences a mid-term regime change or premature elections. This requires deep deliberations”.
