Hold LS, assembly polls together but not with local body: JD(U) to panel

Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) on Saturday supported holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies but not with local body polls.

The party told the high-level committee on 'one nation, one election' that it supports holding Lok Sabha and state assembly polls together.

It also said that all local body polls -- municipalities and panchayats -- should be held together.

However, the local body polls should not be held alongside elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, it underlined.

"... JD(U) would like to extend its support of having simultaneous elections in House of People (Lok Sabha), state legislature together and the election for the third tier, that is, Panchayats and Municipalities should be held simultaneously but separately and not with House of People and state legislature," the JD(U) told the panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind.

Set up in September last year, the committee is mandated to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats keeping in view the existing constitutional framework.

In a memorandum submitted to the committee, JD(U) general secretary Sanjay Kumar Jha and parliamentary party leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh said the party is of the view that simultaneous elections are important to strengthen the architecture of good governance.

Citing reports of the Law Commission and parliamentary committees on simultaneous polls, the JD(U) said synchronised elections will reduce the financial burden associated with frequent elections, as campaigning, logistics and security measures would be consolidated.

The party also felt that synchronised elections might lead to more stable and continuous policy implementation as elected representatives would have longer terms without interruptions due to staggered elections.

"With reduced time spent on election campaigning, leaders could focus more on governance, policymaking and addressing long-term issues rather than short-term electoral considerations," it told the committee.

The JD(U) also felt that holding all elections together might boost voter turnout as people could participate in a single voting event, potentially leading to a more engaged electorate.

A law ministry statement later said that besides meeting the JD(U) leaders, the Kovind panel also met a delegation of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad.

Its representatives also made a presentation before the committee in which they indicated their support for simultaneous elections, the statement said.