Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 11: Former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, emphasized on Wednesday that the Central government must build a broad consensus on the “One Nation, One Election” initiative, stressing that the matter is not about political interests but serves the nation as a whole.
Kovind, who chairs the committee overseeing this initiative, said, “The Central government will have to work towards building a consensus. This issue is not for any party but for the country. ‘One Nation, One Election’ will be a game-changer. It’s not just my view but that of economists who believe that its implementation could boost the country’s GDP by 1 to 1.5 percent.”
Earlier this year, in September, the Union Cabinet approved the “One Nation, One Election” proposal, which seeks to hold simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, urban bodies, and panchayats within a 100-day span. The recommendation was presented in a report by the high-level panel chaired by Kovind.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Cabinet’s decision, calling it a significant step toward enhancing India’s democracy. He also congratulated Kovind for his leadership in driving the initiative and consulting a wide range of stakeholders. “This is an important step towards making our democracy even more vibrant and participative,” PM Modi posted on X.
Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed support for holding simultaneous elections, pointing out that frequent elections lead to significant wastage of time and public funds. He argued that such elections disrupt welfare programs and result in unnecessary expenditures.
“I am an agriculture minister, but during elections, I spent three months campaigning. It wastes the time of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Ministers, MPs, MLAs, officers, and employees. Development work comes to a halt, and new announcements must be made,” Chouhan said.