'One Nation, One Election' bill gets nod by union cabinet, say sources

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the One Nation One Election bill in the parliament a huge step towards the electoral process in India reported news agency ANIA thorough bill is likely to follow this decision which will pave the way for unified election across the nationEarlier on Wednesday former President of India Ram Nath Kovind stated that the Central government must build a consensus on the One Nation One Election initiative emphasising that the issue transcends political interests and serves the nation as a whole stated ANIKovind who heads the committee on the issues said The Central government will have to build consensus This issue is not in the interest of any party but the nation It One Nation One Election will be a gamechangerits not my opinion but that of economists who believe that after its implementation the countrys GDP will rise by 115 per centThe Union Cabinet in September this year approved the One Nation One Election proposal which aims to hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections along with urban body and panchayat polls within a span of 100 days stated ANIThe recommendations were outlined in a report by a highlevel panel chaired by former President Kovind stated ANIPrime Minister Narendra Modi had praised the decision following the Cabinets approval calling it an important step making Indiarsquos democracy more participativeThe Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the HighLevel Committee on Simultaneous Elections I compliment our former President Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji for spearheading this effort and consulting a wide range of stakeholders This is an important step towards making ourhellipmdash Narendra Modi narendramodi September 18 2024The Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the HighLevel Committee on Simultaneous Elections I complement our former President Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji for spearheading this effort and consulting a wide range of stakeholders This is an important step towards making our democracy even more vibrant and participative PM Modi posted on XMeanwhile Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday showed his support for holding simultaneous elections of state and Lok Sabha He argued that frequent elections result in significant wastage of both time and public fundsChouhan noted that frequent elections disrupt public welfare programmes and result in substantial expenditures of public money stated ANII am an agriculture minister but during the elections I spent three months campaigning It wastes the time of the Prime Minister Chief Ministers Ministers MPs MLAs officers and employees All development work comes to a standstill Then new announcements have to be made Chouhan saidWith inputs from ANI