‘One nation, one election’ not practical, says Congress President Kharge

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Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge reacted to the high-level committee report on ‘One nation, one election' on Wednesday and said that the idea is "not practical." He also blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party government for diverting attention from real issues, reported PTI.

Kharge's remarks came after the proposal of 'One nation, one election' was approved before the Union Cabinet.

At a press conference, Kharge said, "It is not practical. It will not work. When elections come, and they are not getting any issues to raise, then they divert attention from real issues."

The 'One nation, one election' report was submitted to the Union Cabinet in March ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections. The proposal was submitted by a panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, PTI reported.

The Union Cabinet approved the ‘One nation, one election' plan on Wednesday, moving the country closer to holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. The bill allowing for simultaneous polling is expected to be tabled during the next winter session of Parliament, stated media reports.

According to a news report, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said 'One nation, one election' is to be carried out in two phases, emphasising that the proposal was embraced by large number of parties.

"Over 80 per cent of the respondents supported simultaneous polls. The opposition parties may face pressure from within to support it," Vaishnaw said

While National Democratic Alliance's allies like Janata Dal (United) and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party has supported the plan, Opposition parties such Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) still stand opposed to the idea of simultaneous polls, claiming that it will favour the ruling party at the Centre.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress lawmaker Derek O'Brien called the approval of the report as a "cheap stunt" from the Union Government, reported PTI.

"Why were the Maharashtra elections not announced along with the polls in Haryana and Jammu-Kashmir? Here's why. The Maharashtra government announced the ‘Ladki Bahin' scheme in the budget this June. The first tranche reached the bank accounts of women in August and the second tranche will reach beneficiaries in October. You cannot do three states in one go and you talk about ONOE [One nation, one poll]," he said.