Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi pitches for simultaneous Lok Sabha, Assembly polls to curb vote-bank politics

Patna: Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday advocated for holding the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls simultaneously, saying it would curb vote-bank politics and maintain the pace of developmental activities. [caption id=“attachment_3507499” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. CNN-News18[/caption] According to the Union minority affairs minister, “one nation one election” will ensure that there is ample time for the governments to discuss policies and to implement those. “There is a need for electoral reforms in the country. We should move ahead on the path of one nation, one election. The Lok Sabha and Assembly elections should be held simultaneously in the country,” Naqvi said. It would help in maintaining the pace of the economy and developmental activities and also check the spread of “a disease called vote-bank politics” to a large extent, he said. Addressing a ‘Parliamentarian Conclave’ in Patna, Naqvi said every few months elections are held in one state or the other. “Development works get obstructed due to the model code of conduct which is implemented during polls. Schemes of central and state governments are affected for some time due to the poll code,” he said, adding, “This continuous process of elections is also a burden on the state exchequer.” There is also a “vote-bank competition” among political parties which could be curbed to a large extent if elections are held simultaneously, Naqvi said without elaborating. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former president Pranab Mukherjee and the NITI Aayog had also pitched for holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously.