BJP leader holds webinar on ‘One India, One Vote’, panellists argue its advantages

Tribune News Service

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New Delhi, December 31

Under the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP has launched a series outreach programme on the possibility of holding simultaneous elections in the country, as party leaders are organising webinars on the issue one after another.

In one such virtual meet on “One India, One Vote” hosted by national spokesperson of BJP Tom Vadakkan, panellists from various parts of the world discussed various aspects of its implementation.

Prominent among the speakers were Vibhuti Jha, president, Human Potential Project USA, and senior advocate of Supreme Court Rakesh Gosain.

Vadakkan, while opening the discussion, highlighted the advantages of simultaneous elections in terms of government expenditure and development activities besides effective check on black money and efficiency of governance.

Gosain said: “The 2019 Lok Sabha elections saw a spending of Rs 55,000 crore, which was the most expensive in the world. The problem with India is the status-quo mind-set, which we need to overcome in the election process. Simultaneous or One Nation One Election is not a new thing and has been done during the Pakistan and China War periods. It is not against the Constitution and can be achieved with minor amendments.”

Another panellist, Jha, highlighted the advantages of the concept by comparing it with the US elections process.

“India already has well-structured election machinery including election id with photos for voters, which is not present even in the US. The election commission would continue to be operational the same way with minor changes in its operational plan and implementation,” he said, adding that a focused group of constitutional experts, think tanks, representatives of political parties could derive the feasibility of ‘One India, One Vote’.