The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre will roll out “One Nation, One Election”, or simultaneous polls to state assemblies and the Lok Sabha, during its current term, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary said on Sunday, dismissing speculations that the ruling party was under pressure from its allies to revisit policy matters.
Speaking on the eve of the completion of 100 days of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government’s third term, the functionary said the Centre’s focus on “stable policies and evidence-based reforms” across sectors has fuelled the economy and drove the country’s growth story.
“One nation, one election will be rolled out during the current term of the NDA government,” the senior BJP leader said, requesting anonymity.
In his Independence Day speech last month, PM Modi had made a strong pitch for one nation, one election, stating that frequent polls were creating hurdles in the country’s progress. The BJP has been contending that simultaneous polls will cut down on expenses and bring down the frequency of the implementation of the model code of conduct, imposed before elections, that bars the governments from taking policy decision or initiating new projects, expect in cases of exigencies.
While the Janata Dal (United) supports the move, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), another key ally in the NDA, has not responded to a high-level committee formed to explore the feasibility of simultaneous polls in the country.
The senior functionary’s remarks were also intended to put to rest speculations that the BJP was under strain from its allies and that its diminished strength in the Lok Sabha (from 303 seats in 2019 to 240 at present) has given partners more room to assert in policy matters and decision making.
Recent decisions by the Centre such as scrapping lateral entry in bureaucracy, implementing the unified pension scheme (UPS) and the rolling back of the Budget proposal to remove indexation benefits on long-term capital gains tax from the sale of unlisted assets were perceived to have been taken due to pressure from the allies.
“This confusion should now be over… This government will work as it should. In the last 10 years, there was no area where policy decisions and follow-up have not led to a change,” the functionary said.
The high-level committee on One Nation, One Election headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind in March this year recommended simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step, followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days. The panel, however, has not specified any period for rolling out simultaneous polls.
The BJP, which fell short of the half-way mark of 272 seats in the general elections this summer, depends on its allies – notably the JD(U) led by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and the TDP led by Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, which together have 28 members – to form the government.
Speaking on the NDA government’s performance in the first 100 days in its third term, the BJP leader said: “We made policies stable as well as flexible to ensure there is no friction.”
The PM led the way to ensure there were no pauses in the development agenda, the functionary said, pointing to the Pragati meetings chaired by him to take stock of issues in various sectors.
In the last 100 days, strides have been made in infrastructure, agriculture, ease of doing business, empowerment of the deprived classes, improved medical care, law and order, energy security among other areas, the functionary said.
According to details provided by the Centre, in the last 100 days, projects worth ₹3 lakh crore have been approved, with primary focus on roads, railways, ports, and airways.
For the benefit of the farmers, ₹20,000 crore has been distributed to 93 million farmers, MSP (minimum support price) for Kharif crops for 2024-25 has been increased which benefitted 120 million farmers by approximately ₹2 lakh crore, the government said.
For the middle class, there is no tax on income up to ₹7 lakh. A comprehensive review of income tax rules will be conducted within six months to make them concise, clear, and easy to understand and the implementation of the Unified Pension Scheme as per which employees with 25 years of service will receive 50% of their average basic salary as a pension, it added.
To empower the youth, the government claims to have announced a ₹2 lakh crore PM package for their employment and skill development;1 crore youth will receive internships at top companies, along with allowances and one-time assistance and the Centre has announced over 15,000 new appointments.
Mudra loans for women have been increased from ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh; and for the socially and economically marginalised development of 63,000 tribal villages will be carried out to improve the socio-economic status of 50 million tribals, it said.
