Amit Shah didn't pitch for simultaneous elections in 11 states: BJP

New Delhi [India], Aug 14 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday refuted the reports of its party president Amit Shah recommending the Election Commission to conduct simultaneous elections in 11 states next year.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra while addressing the media here, said, "There is no mention of simultaneous polls in 11 states in BJP President Amit Shah's letter to the Law Commission but the Party does support the idea of one nation one election."
On the other hand, reacting on the issue, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that, "Conducting simultaneous elections will only mean to deprive people of choosing their representatives."
On August 13, Shah wrote a letter to Law Commission Chairman B. S. Chauhan batting for One Nation one Election system.
The BJP president, in his letter, emphasised that with multiple elections happening throughout the year, the Model Code of Conduct impedes the government's developmental work.
Citing examples of other countries, Shah in the letter asserted that in India elections keep taking place throughout the year in one state or the other, usually in one five-term of Lok Sabha, on an average 5 to 7 states go for assembly elections each year along with polls for local bodies.
"Due to the present process of elections, a situation is created where the entire country is always in the election mode whether at national, state or local administration level due to which the national treasury has to take a huge load for the smooth conduct of these periodic polls. This expenditure can be cut down by holding all such elections simultaneously in five years," Shah said. (ANI)