Kovind pitches for simultaneous elections

President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday pitched for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, saying that frequent elections impede the speed of development as officials have to assist in conducting polls.

Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament on commencement of the Budget Session, Kovind said there should be more dialogue among political parties for simultaneous polls and efforts made towards arriving at an agreement.

"There is concern among people sensitive to governance about the adverse impact of elections being held in one or other part of the country. Frequent elections not only entail more burden on human resources, the imposition of model code also impedes the development process of the country," Kovind said.

"Hence there should be greater dialogue and discussion on simultaneous polls and efforts made for agreement among political parties," he said.

The President's statement comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview again batted for simultaneous polls in the country, saying it would save a lot of resources.

--IANS

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