Frequent elections hinder administrative works: Delhi Minister Ashish Sood

New Delhi [India], April 30 (ANI): Delhi Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday morning strongly advocated for the 'One Nation, One Election' initiative, stating that voting percentages tend to increase when Parliamentary and state assembly elections are held together. He said that the frequent elections were "stopping" the country's development as they caused hindrance in administrative work.
He further cited an estimate suggesting that Rs 12,000 crore could be saved from the government exchequer if the elections were held together.
"Across the country, elections happening back to back are stopping the development. The elections cause hindrances in administrative work. It increases expenses. It is estimated that if elections are held together at once, it will save Rs 12,000 crore... This issue should be resolved. The numbers say that, wherever Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are held together, the voting percentage has increased," Sood told ANI.
He was attending the 'One Nation, One Election' run organised under the Delhi University mega run today, which was flagged off by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
Gupta asserted that it was their responsibility to remove "speed breakers" that hinder the development of the country. She said that the only way to achieve 'Viksit Bharat' was through 'One Nation, One Election'. Speaking about the huge amount of money spent in the elections, the Delhi CM said that people should make their choice only once, while advocating for new reforms to give the country a chance to perform.
Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan advocated for political stability to enable the country to achieve superpower status, stating that elections were held together until the 1960s, but the schedule has been disrupted over the last 40 years.
"The elections were held together at once after Independence. It used to happen till the 1960s. This schedule has been disrupted in the last 40 years. If India needs to develop and become a superpower, political stability in the country and its states is required. The frequent elections take a toll on time and revenue, which is not good for the country's development," Pradhan said. (ANI)