‘One nation, one poll’ move as BJP fears losing five state polls, worried over INDIA alliance, says Congress

The Congress has hit out at the Narendra Modi-led regime over the idea of 'one nation, one election' saying that the Opposition INDIA alliance has rattled the BJP and it is fearing a loss in Assembly polls scheduled to be held in five states. Reports ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday slammed the Centre’s move to push the idea of 'one nation, one election' saying it reflected the Bharatiya Janata Party’s anxiety that it may lose the coming five Assembly polls. The Congress also said that the idea of 'one nation, one election' was complex to frame and challenging to implement.

"My personal view is that the BJP is worried that it may lose the coming five Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram. They lost Himachal Pradesh last year and Karnataka this year. They fear that a poll loss in the states will have a negative impact on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Hence, the move on 'one nation, one election'," former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shakeel Ahmed told ETV Bharat.

According to the Congress leader, the BJP had floated the idea of 'one nation, one election' to tinker with either the poll schedule of the five assemblies or that of the Lok Sabha.

"The state polls are likely to be held in November-December this year while the Lok Sabha polls would be held in April-May, 2024. My hunch is that the BJP may decide to defer the Assembly polls by extending the term of the Assemblies by a few months. This would allow them to hold the state polls together with the national polls. I don’t think the (Narendra) Modi government will take the risk of advancing the Lok Sabha elections. Former BJP Prime Minister AB Vajpayee had done the same after the 'India Shining' campaign and lost the 2004 national polls," said Ahmed.

He further said that the proposal of 'one nation, one election' itself was full of complexities and was challenging to implement. "It is as complex as the Uniform Civil Code proposal. First, the 'one nation, one poll' would require a constitutional amendment which means passing it with a two-thirds majority in both the Houses. Second, what would the Centre do with the Assemblies like Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, which were formed over the past year and still have to serve their full term. Would it be easy to dissolve these Assemblies and go for a fresh poll,” said Ahmed.

Though some Congress leaders had an apprehension that the Centre may try to pass the 'one nation, one election' Bill during the Special Session of Parliament from Sep 18-22, Ahmed said it could be for some other purpose.

“The 'one nation, one election' panel led by former President of India Ram Nath Kovind has just been announced. Preparing the draft Bill is a very time-consuming exercise and cannot be done in the short term,” he said.

According to Congress Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha, who is also a senior Supreme Court advocate, the special session of Parliament, whose agenda is still not known, has fueled speculation over the proposal.

“If the objective is to pass the bill of 'one nation, one election' to avoid the Assembly polls in November-December, it means the BJP is in a really bad shape. They may wish to hold the state and national polls together after inaugurating the Ayodhya temple in January and this could be their best bet. The solidifying INDIA alliance too is unnerving the BJP,” Tankha said.