They could not hold Maharashtra, Haryana polls together..., says Shiv Sena (UBT) on 'one nation, one election'

Arvind Sawant. File pic

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday ridiculed the Centre for approving the proposal for 'one nation, one election', jibing that it could not hold voting in Maharashtra and Haryana together but intends to conduct simultaneous polls, reported the PTI.

According to the PTI, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson and MP Arvind Sawant wondered whether 'one nation, one election' was a priority of the government when there were more pressing issues like unemployment, inflation, crimes against women and farmers' woes.

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Meanwhile, former Maharashtra minister and (Shiv Sena UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray termed the move a 'joke' and called it a ploy to extend the deadline for all pending polls for the next five years.

Arvind Sawant said, "The government should get an award for being bogus and cunning. You could not schedule the Maharashtra and Haryana polls together. You could not hold Mumbai civic body polls. Can't people see through this (plan)," as per the PTI.

Usually, the Maharashtra and Haryana elections are held around the same time. However, the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir elections have been scheduled together this time. The first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls is being held on Wednesday.

Arvind Sawant said that the government has lost the ground beneath its feet after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 240 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, could not get a majority on its own.

He accused the BJP of playing with democracy.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal for 'one nation, one election' as recommended by a panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind.

The high-level committee had recommended simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.

Aaditya Thackeray claimed the Centre is talking of 'one nation, one election' to extend the deadline for all pending polls for the next five years.

Aaditya Thackeray dubbed the 'one nation, one election' proposal a "joke" saying the Centre cannot even hold simultaneous polls in four states. Polls for Jammu Kashmir and Haryana were announced but what about Maharashtra and Jharkhand, he asked, the news agency reported on Wednesday.

In Maharashtra, civic body polls have been pending for over two years and the BJP is scared of holding the elections, Aaditya Thackeray said.

(with PTI inputs)