The Kerala Assembly unanimously passed a resolution against holding simultaneous elections in the country. The resolution described that the proposal was ‘undemocratic and unconstitutional’.
In the resolution, the House urged the Central government to roll back its decision to approve the proposal for 'one nation, one election' recommended by the high-level committee led by former President Ramnath Kovind. The resolution was moved by Kerala Parliamentary Affairs Minister MB Rajesh on behalf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The minister also accepted certain amendments suggested by UDF MLAs in the resolution and subsequently, the resolution was passed unanimously by the House.
Minister MB Rajesh said that proposal would weaken the country's federal system and sabotage the diverse nature of India's parliamentary democracy. He said that it would also lead to cutting short of the term of various state assemblies and local self-governments in the country.
Rajesh further said that this decision amounted to a violation of the people's mandate, a challenge to their democratic rights and usurping of a state's power to hold elections and taking over of the federal system of the country. He criticised that the committee was viewing Lok Sabha, state assembly and local body polls as an expense and doing so was ‘undemocratic’. Rajesh condemned the proposal as unnecessary, stating that there were simpler ways to reduce election costs and improve governance. He further claimed that the proposal was unconstitutional, went against constitutional values, and was part of the agenda of the RSS and BJP.
A bill to implement simultaneous elections is likely to be introduced in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. This initiative aims to synchronise Parliamentary and Assembly elections, which has been a part of the Modi government’s 100-day agenda.