Yogi govt pushes for simultaneous polls

An Uttar Pradesh panel has recommended simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies, echoing a suggestion by the Law Commission of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's own view on the issue.

“In the first instance, we may have elections to Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies to be held simultaneously and subsequently elections to the local bodies should also be joined with them," the report submitted on Tuesday to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposed.

The 23-page report was submitted by UP Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh, who headed the seven-member committee constituted by the chief minister.

“UP is the first state to push PM’s idea of national debate on holding all elections up to the panchayat together. We have examined it and it is possible,” Singh told PTI after handing over the report titled, “One nation, one election & common electoral rolls.”

Adityanath later said, “We are forwarding the report to the Centre, and it will be good in the larger public interest.”

He added that to keep the electoral rolls clean, Aadhaar numbers should be linked with the names of voters to eliminate chances of duplication, as suggested by the committee.

Singh, who is also the state government spokesperson, said that as per the prime minister's one-nation, oneelection suggestion, the state favoured holding simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and the legislative assembly.