Hyderabad: Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has endorsed simultaneous elections for both the Indian Parliament and state legislatures. He feels that numerous elections impede the nation’s progress and that holding simultaneous elections will reduce the government’s budgetary burden.
Speaking to the media at his home in Hyderabad, Naidu highlighted the importance of India engaging in a full and meaningful debate on this issue. To back up his position, he cited recommendations from the Election Commission, the Law Commission, and Parliamentary Standing Committees. Naidu encouraged the adoption of the “one nation, one election” principle, underlining the importance of avoiding avoidable issues and reaching consensus through democratic discourse.
Naidu also addressed the issue of politicians switching parties, asking that the Anti-Defection Law be changed to address this matter.He remarked that until 1971, India held simultaneous elections for Parliament and state assemblies, but this practice was abolished for a variety of reasons. Naidu claimed that frequent elections inhibit the government from adopting clear decisions that benefit the people as a whole.
Concerning reports of renaming India ‘Bharat,’ Naidu found no problem with this because the term ‘Bharat’ has been used to refer to the country since ancient times. He emphasized that the Constitution already refers to ‘India, that is Bharat,’ and that the two phrases are interchangeable. Naidu stated that the term ‘India’ got popular due to naming by outsiders, but the country is culturally known as ‘Bharat.’
Finally, Naidu emphasized the significance of passing the long-stalled Women’s Reservation Bill and urged a “early conclusion” to the issue. This bill proposes a 33% reservation for women in the Indian Parliament and state legislative bodies, encouraging gender parity and political participation.
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