State's nod necessary for 'one nation, one election': Kamal Nath
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath said on Friday it is not possible to do so without taking the nod of state assemblies.
The Centre has tasked former President Ram Nath Kovind with the responsibility of heading a committee to explore the feasibility of "one nation, one election", opening the possibility of Lok Sabha polls being advanced so that they could be held with upcoming assembly elections in many states, including MP.
«There is a need for a constitutional amendment for it.
Besides, it cannot be done by passing a bill in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, but it also needs to be ratified by the state assemblies,» Nath told reporters when asked about his views on the concept of simultaneous polls.
«BJP-ruled states like Haryana and Maharashtra can pass a one-line resolution by the cabinet to dissolve their assemblies for holding elections with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan along with the Lok Sabha polls but what about (TMC-ruled) West Bengal? It is not possible to do so in every state,» the former Union minister said.
The constitution of the panel headed by Kovind and the announcement of a special session of Parliament from September 18 to 22 have triggered speculation that the BJP-led Centre is mulling over advancing Lok Sabha polls to hold them with the year-end assembly polls due in five states.
On the distribution of party tickets for assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Nath said «the first list will be issued soon, but still we have hinted to those to whom we wanted to».
Last month, the ruling BJP announced a list of 39 candidates as part of its strategy to win the maximum number of seats in the MP elections.
Asked if their rival party leaders are keen to join Congress ahead of the polls, Nath
