Simultaneous polls not possible,require constitutional amendment: CEC
NEW DELHI : Simultaneous elections are possible but not without proper a legal framework, Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said on Tuesday. The CEC said that simultaneous elections would require a constitutional amendment to curtail the term of assemblies.
The terms of assemblies cannot be cut short or President’s Rule declared in states to hold elections without a change in the constitution, said Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat a day after a fresh push by the BJP for the “One nation one election” idea.
The statement by the Chief Election Commissioner, which comes out a day after the BJP made a fresh push to hold Lok Sabha and assembly polls together, virtually rules out holding simultaneous polls any time soon.
“If the term of some state assemblies needs to be curtailed or extended, then a constitutional amendment will be required… Logistics arrangements with regard to 100 per cent availability of VVPATs (paper trail machines) will be a constraint,” he told reporters to a question on whether simultaneous elections can be held anytime soon.
Sources say the BJP is planning to hold elections in 11 states along with the 2019 general elections. “On the issue of ‘one nation one poll,” the Election Commission had given inputs and suggestions in 2015 itself… If the term of some state assemblies needs to be curtailed or extended, then a constitutional amendment will be required,” Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat told reporters today.
Mr Rawat also pointed to the logistical difficulties, saying arrangements with regard to 100 per cent availability of VVPATs (voter-verifiable paper trail machines) will be a constraint. Additional police force, polling personnel would also be needed.
Sources in the BJP have said holding election in 11 states will not require any constitutional amendment.
“On the issue of ‘one nation one poll’, the Election Commission had given inputs and suggestions in 2015 itself… Other requirements of additional police force, polling personnel would also be needed,” he said.
The CEC said the poll panel would continue to deliver its responsibility of conducting elections whenever term of the state assemblies come to an end. The EC is in the process of procuring new EVMs and VVPATs ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
While all required EVMs — 13.95 lakh ballot units and 9.3 lakh control units — will be delivered by September 30, 16.15 lakh VVPATs will also be delivered well before the end of November, Rawat had earlier said.
Some additional VVPATs are being procured as a cushion in case these machines malfunction and need to be replaced during polls.
Over 11 per cent of the 10,300 VVPAT machines across 10 states had developed faults and had to be replaced during the May 28 bypolls.
If simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies are held in 2019, the EC will require nearly 24 lakh EVMs, double the number required to hold only the Parliamentary polls.During their discussion with the Law Commission on May 16 on the issue of holding simultaneous polls, the EC officials had said they would need around Rs 4,500 crore to buy nearly 12 lakh additional electronic voting machines (EVMs) and an equal number voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines.
President’s Rule can be declared in states where the term of the assembly ends before the middle of next year. For BJP-ruled states where term ends later, assembly could be dissolved early.
Elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram are due in November-December this year.
These states would be the candidates for President’s Rule. In NDA-ruled Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra and Bihar, the elections are due much later. So assemblies can be dissolved and election can take place along with the Lok Sabha polls, sources said.
There, however, are certain conditions for declaration of President’s Rule under Article 356 of the Constitution. These include breakdown of a coalition, loss of majority in assembly, postponement of elections for unavoidable reasons and the inability of the legislature to elect a leader as the Chief Minister.
The Congress has dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dissolve the Lok Sabha early and announce general elections along with polls in four states, where the terms of the assemblies end this year. Party general secretary Ashok Gehlot said this is “not possible” under the Constitution or the law.
BJP ally Nitish Kumar has reiterated that the concept of one nation one poll is right, but it is not feasible now. “It will not be possible this time to hold elections for the Lok Sabha and all states.
On Monday, BJP chief Amit Shah wrote to the Law Commission expressing support for PM Narendra Modi’s “One nation one election” idea. In his eight-page letter, the BJP chief said the opposition to simultaneous elections seems to be politically motivated.
The government contends that holding polls at the national and state levels will cut down on the cost of elections in terms of both time and money. A paper by the Law Commission recently recommended holding the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in two phases beginning 2019.
Most opposition parties have scoffed at the idea despite the government’s many attempts to bring them on board. The Congress, Trinamool Congress, AAP, DMK, Telugu Desam Party, Left parties and the JD(S) have consistently opposed the proposal, questioning its feasibility and arguing that it would be against federal principles.
(With Agency Inputs ).
