Yogi, Pathak hail ‘one nation, one election’, Akhilesh raises questions

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union cabinet for giving a nod to the Kovind committee report on the “one nation, one election” proposal while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised questions on it and suggested to announce the by-poll dates in Uttar Pradesh as well as the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly polls.

Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak also hailed the Union cabinet’s move.

In a post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, “Political stability is vital for a flourishing democracy. The approval given to the “one nation, one election” proposal by the Union cabinet today under the leadership of respected Prime Minister Narendra Modiji is commendable. This decision will prove to be a “milestone” in ensuring political stability, sustainable development and prosperous democracy in the country. On behalf of the people of Uttar Pradesh, heartfelt gratitude to the respected Prime Minister for this revolutionary decision.”

For his part, Pathak said, “ Holding simultaneous elections will conserve resources, promote development, and enhance social harmony.”

This, Pathak said, would also strengthen the foundation of the democratic framework, help realize the nation’s aspirations, accelerate the country’s progress and curb additional electoral expenses.

Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav reacted sharply to the “one nation, one election” move and in a post on X, wrote, “They should have also declare elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and by-elections in U.P. If “one nation, one nation” is in principle, then please clarify whether elections of all the village, town, municipal bodies from the pradhan to the prime minister will be held simultaneously or as per their convenience to make a system of victory or defeat of the government on the pretext of festivals and weather? ⁠When the BJP will topple the elected government of any state in between, will the elections of the whole country be held again? ⁠If President’s rule is imposed in any state, will the people’s elected government have to wait till the next general elections to come or will there be elections again in the whole country?”

“Has any time limit been set for the constitutional amendments that will have to be made to implement this or is this also just a slogan thrown to put on hold for future like women’s reservation? ⁠Is this plan to change the results by privatizing the elections? Such apprehensions are arising because tomorrow the government will say that it does not have the human and other necessary resources to conduct elections on such a large scale, that is why we are giving the work of conducting elections on contract (to our people),” wrote Yadav.

He also wrote, “The public suggests that BJP should first conduct such elections within its party at the district, city, state and national level and then talk about the whole country. In the end, the public is also asking why the election of your own national president has not been held yet, whereas it is heard that “one person, one opinion” prevails there. Is there a fight of “two persons, two opinions” in the weakened BJP now?”