Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a bid to initiate a national debate on the issue of holding simultaneous elections for state assemblies and Parliament wrote to all MPs and MLAs in the country to help forge a consensus on the issue.
Chouhan in the letter, whose copies were made available to the press, said till 1970, there used to be simultaneous elections for state assemblies and Parliament.
After 1970, elections were held separately and sometimes there were mid-term elections too, he said.
The Chief Minister said having separate elections doubles the cost of holding them and also the use of muscle power.
"Also, a parallel black money economy was trying to find roots in the country," Chouhan said.
He said not only elections to state assemblies and Parliament be held simultaneously but also both should have a fixed tenure of five years.
The Chief Minister said Chief Ministers and Prime Minister should be elected directly by voters and added that election expenses of recognised political parties should be met through state funding.
Chouhan said that holding frequent elections leads to the imposition of the model code of conduct which obstructs development work.
He said because of fractured verdicts, the state heads have to work under a lot of compulsion.
"The country has seen the demerits of having such Chief Ministers and Prime Ministers," Chouhan said.
Chouhan said he was confident that the MPs and MLAs would agree with his suggestion and urged them to try to ensure that there was a consensus in all political parties on this issue.
He hoped that implementing the suggestion would lead to strengthening of democracy in the country and make way for more people-oriented works. PTI
