Simultaneous elections can save exchequer's money, says Kiren Rijiju

With elections becoming a big budget affair, the exchequer's money can be saved if Lok Sabha and assembly polls are held simultaneously, the government said on Thursday.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the simultaneous elections would result in huge saving to the public exchequer, avoid replication of effort on the part of the administrative and law and order machinery and also bring considerable savings to the political parties and candidates in their election campaign.

"The Law Commission in its report on Reforms in Electoral Laws had suggested simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies for the sake of stability in governance. It would also curb the adverse effect due to prolonged enforcement of Model Code of Conduct due to asynchronous Lok Sabha and state assembly elections," said Rijiju.

There were simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in 1951-52, 1957, 1962 and 1967 but later on the premature dissolution of some legislative assemblies in 1968 and 1969 led to the disruption of the cycle.

--IANS

ssh/bg