'One Nation, One Poll', an important step to make democracy stronger: Uttarakhand CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami advocated for 'One Nation, One Poll' on Wednesday and said that it is a crucial step towards making the country's democracy stronger, effective and inclusive.

In a meeting with the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the matter, headed by BJP MP PP Chaudhary, the CM said that due to Lok Sabha, state assembly and civic elections being held at separate times, the work comes to a standstill owing to repeated implementation of the code of conduct.

The recurring election, he said, also burdens the exchequer and decreases voters' interest in voting.

To the JPC, which is on a two-day visit, he also highlighted that many employees have to be removed from their respective work and put on election duty during elections.

Referring to the suspension of the policy-related processes due to the imposition of a code of conduct for holding different elections in the last three years, Dhami said that 175 days were lost, and these are essential for a small and limited resource state from the point of view of governance.

The CM also said that the state government bears the entire expenditure of the assembly elections, while the expenditure of the Lok Sabha elections is borne by the central government.

He said that if both elections are held together, the burden of expenditure could be equally split between the state and central governments.

"This will save about 30 to 35 per cent of the total expenditure, which can be used in areas like health, education, road, water, agriculture and women empowerment," Dhami said.

Alluding to the state's hilly terrain, Dhami said that it is difficult to reach polling stations in remote areas, so the election processes take more time and resources.

On the first day, the committee sought suggestions from Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan as well as representatives of political parties.

On the second, also the last day of its visit on Thursday, the committee will discuss this subject with the chief secretary and director general of police, heads of multiple departments, Bar Council officials, IIT Roorkee representatives, and prominent local personalities.