Gujarat CM Patel expresses views on ‘One Nation, One Election’ before Joint Parliamentary Committee

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], May 20 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday expressed support for the 'One Nation One Election' proposal before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' would be realised through simultaneous elections across the country, according to the CMO.
Patel shared his views during a meeting organised by the JPC at GIFT City in Gandhinagar, where the committee had arrived to seek suggestions and opinions from states on the proposed reform.
These include initiatives such as 'One Nation, One Tax', 'One Nation, One Ration Card', 'One Nation, One Grid', and 'One Nation, One Subscription'.
"All these reforms have brought uniformity in governance," he said.
The Chief Minister stated that, along with good governance, clear policies and public participation are extremely essential in the development journey of every nation.
"For this reason, 'One Nation, One Election' will prove to be an important step in the country's development," CM added.
The Chief Minister also mentioned in his remarks that for 15 years after India's Independence, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were conducted simultaneously. However, this system was disrupted due to political instability, the CMO stated in the release.
The Chief Minister clarified that in a developed state like Gujarat, where lakhs of labourers from other regions are employed, frequent elections compel a large section of these labourers to return to their native places to cast their votes. As a result, the production output of Gujarat is adversely affected.
Further elaborating on these issues, he said that the election process requires large-scale logistics, infrastructure, and manpower. As a result, a major part of the government machinery remains engaged in election-related work. In addition, the expenditure incurred for the same also has to be borne by the state government.
As per the release, the Chief Minister described this constitutional reform as being in the national interest and said that it would prove significant in increasing public participation and enhancing citizens' enthusiasm towards the electoral process in India's vibrant democracy.
The Chief Minister also expressed the view that the JPC, which had come to hear opinions on this issue, would get to know the diverse perspectives of various political parties regarding 'One Nation One Election', and that bringing all these views together would pave the way for a new direction. (ANI)