Opposition parties have reacted sharply to the Union Cabinet’s approval of the ‘One Nation One Poll’ recommended by the Kovind Committee on Wednesday afternoon, describing it as impractical and undemocratic.
However, barring the INDIA bloc ally Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, the entire Opposition flayed the move of the BJP-led Central government while the main Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Congress, called it a diversionary tactic by the government.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge rubbished the decision saying, “We don’t stand with this. One Nation One Election cannot work in a democracy. Elections need to be held as and when required if we want our democracy to survive.”
Party General Secretary KC Venugopal said, “It is not at all practical in this country. They want to divert attention from present issues.”
Registering its strong opposition to the decision, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that it compromises democracy. Stressing that he has always opposed it, he said: “I have consistently opposed One Nation One Election because it is a solution in search of a problem. It destroys federalism and compromises democracy, which are part of the basic structure of the constitution.”
The TMC described the decision as a “cheap stunt” by the “anti-democratic” BJP. Its MP Derek O’Brien said, it is a “classic PM Modi-Amit Shah jumla”. He wondered why Maharashtra polls were not announced along with elections in Haryana and J-K in keeping with the BJP’s policy.
The AAP MP Sandeep Pathak also opposed the move. It questioned the sincerity of the government, saying only a few days back polls for four states were to be announced but the government announced elections only for Haryana and J-K and leaving Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
“The point is if they can’t conduct elections in four states simultaneously, how then they would manage the same in the entire country? He asked what if a state government falls before completing its full term. Will the President’s rule be imposed in that state,” he asked.
However, the Samajwadi Party, an ally of the INDIA bloc, came out in support of the decision saying the party is all for conducting of the elections simultaneously. The party, however, said all modalities in this context should be made clear.
The BSP chief Mayawati also hailed the move. In a post on X, she said, “Our party’s stand on the approval given today by the Union Cabinet to hold simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha, Assembly and local bodies in the country under the system of One Country, One Election is positive, but its objective must be in the national and public interest”.