TD ok with joint polls after term completion

The Telugu Desam has no objection to simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies provided Parliament is not dissolved without completing the mandatory five years.

TDP floor leader in the Lok Sabha, Thota Narasimhan, and party legal cell in-charge, Rajya Sabha member Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar met representatives of the Law Commission in Delhi on Sunday and submitted their views on simultaneous elections as mooted by the centre.

“People have elected their respective governments of the state and union for a tenure of five years in accordance with provisions of the constitution. If the Union Government intends to go for dissolution of Parliament without completing the mandatory period of five years, the Telugu Desam and its government is not willing to cut their tenure short. However, we are willing to go for simultaneous elections for the state of AP and Union simultaneously,” said the TD in its representation to the Law Commission.

The Law Commission held consultations with all major political parties on July 7 and 8 to discuss the feasibility of conducting simultaneous Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections.

The state’s representatives also said, “We also have to visualise another situation. If simultaneous elections are held in 2019 and if the ruling party does not get a majority and a new government is formed in coalition, and does not survive the full term, what will be the fate of elections to the state?”

The TD also said that the one nation one poll idea would hurt the basic structure of the Constitution. There is no guarantee to the Indian politics and multi party system.?? “A majority party or coalition may complete its five year Lok Sabha term. But this may not happen in the states.