BJP for one nation, one election: CM

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, August 14

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has stated that the BJP supports the principle of one nation, one election, maintaining that it would be possible only with the consent of all political parties and an amendment in the Constitution.

The Chief Minister was interacting with newspersons at the residence of Sukhbir Chandolia, the director of the Haryana Scheduled Castes and Finance Development Corporation, at Bohar village in Rohtak district on Tuesday.

Advocating the holding of simultaneous elections across the country, Lal said this would ease the financial burden caused by holding elections frequently. He asserted that the BJP was ready for simultaneous elections in the state.

“Apart from this, development works also get affected and delayed due to the imposition of the code of conduct during the elections,” he stated, adding that the plan to hold elections together could become possible in the year 2024 if all political parties backed the proposal.

Replying to a question, Lal said all arrangements had been made for holding municipal corporation elections. Elections can be held after the completion of ‘ward-bandi’ in Sonepat Municipal Corporation.

“The BJP is ready for the municipal elections and the party will contest the elections on the party symbol,” he maintained.

On being asked about the announcements being made by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda during his campaign, Lal questioned why Hooda did not execute those during the 10 years of his tenure as Chief Minister.

He termed INLD MLA and Leader of Opposition Abhay Chautala’s aspiration of becoming Haryana Chief Minister as a “pipe dream”.

In response to a query, the Chief Minister claimed that the BJP government in Haryana had fulfilled 90 per cent of the promises made in its manifesto and they still had one year of their tenure.