Don't curtail term of Assemblies for simultaneous polls: TRS

The ruling TRS in Telangana has criticised the idea of curtailing the term of Assemblies and called for a consensus on the issue of holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and state polls.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti's (TRS) floor leader in the Lower House, A P Jithender Reddy, said people elect a government for a term of five years, and this mandate should be allowed to be completed.
"We are always ready (for elections) but what I think is when the mandate is given for five years, we (states) should complete the mandated period," Reddy told PTI.
He suggested giving extensions to Assemblies which completed their five-year term to synchronise the national and state-level poll schedules.

"If somebody (state) has completed their term, let them get an extension (till the time of simultaneous elections). Nobody should go (to polls) before (their) term (ends)," he said.
Reddy said a consensus should be built on holding simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

"Don't call for election before (expiry of) term. People have given five years' mandate. The term should not be curtailed," said the Lok Sabha member from Mahbubnagar.
Earlier this week, Election Commissioner O P Rawat said in Bhopal that the poll body would be "logistically equipped" by September 2018 to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and the state Assemblies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have been pressing for simultaneous elections to save time and resources.