‘One nation, one election’ can’t be implemented in India: Congress leader

The 'One nation, one election' idea was beyond imagination which cannot be implemented in a big country like India, Congress general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir said on Friday, 13 December, while accusing the BJP of hiding its failures behind such issues.

The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved the constitutional amendment bill to roll out the concept of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls.

"There will be a debate on it in Parliament and all the parties will present their viewpoint. But, this is not a small country, this is a huge country which is democratic," he said.

"It seems beyond imagination that we can have all the elections at the same time in this country, whether it is the Parliament, assemblies, panchayats or municipalities," Mir told reporters in the south Kashmir district here.

Mir, who also represents Dooru in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative assembly, said sometimes the government brings in proposals to "cover up some other things".

"They bring up debates like these to hide from their basic responsibilities of providing employment opportunities to the youth, taking the country forward, and others. I do not think that we have become so advanced that we can have all the elections at the same time," he added.