New Delhi: Two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed simultaneous elections in an exclusive interview to Network18, President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday backed the idea and said that Election Commission can put its mind in changing the Code of Conduct so that it does not disturb the polls.
Addressing a programme on the occasion of Teacher's Day, President Mukherjee agreed with the PM's view on conducting joint elections.
He said "India has proved its electoral mettle. Election Commission can change code of conduct. We must brainstorm on implementation of holding simultaneous polls".
Modi had said that frequent elections affect the functioning of bureaucracy and there should be simultaneous elections to Panchayat bodies, assemblies and Parliament to save time and money.
The Prime Minister also noted that the country ‘unfortunately’ witnesses elections regularly, because of which everything is linked to polls.
‘Every decision is weighed in the balance of elections. It is time to de-link decisions taken from the elections. The early we do so, the better it is. When the elections come, there will be manifestos. It is the need of the hour to separate politics from work,’ he said.
Modi added that a number of political parties have told him, ‘some openly and some in hush-hush manner’ that they favour simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and that this practice needs to be ended.
‘But it cannot be done by the government or one party alone. When all parties think and decide under the leadership of Election Commission, then only things can happen. Whatever may be my views, but I can't do it as we are in a democracy. But I hope someday there will be comprehensive deliberations and discussions on what is good or bad,’ he said.
Reacting to this former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Naveen Chawla said "This move if it can be made positively would be a good move for the country. I am very pleased that the President has given his affirmation".
The Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesman Gaurav Bhatia said that even though it is a welcome move, dissolution of state Assemblies or Lok Sabha could once again spoil it.
He said that there were contradictions in the move. Countering him the BJP spokesman GVL Narasimha Rao backed simultaneous elections says that a Constitutional amendment is needed for this.
"Through an amendment the Parliament can have fixed tenure for all. It saves us from frequent elections," Rao added.
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