Bhubaneswar: Welcoming the One Nation, One Election (ONOE) move by the Central Government, Governing BJD said it is fully prepared to face simultaneous election at any time.
Speaking to media persons, senior BJD MLA Badri Narayan Patra today said, “We are always prepared and we are better prepared than other parties for the election.”
“We in Odisha won’t face any problem as we have been facing both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together for several times. I heard that the Government of India is going to bring a central legislation for this purpose within a short time. If it is implemented, naturally all will follow it,” he said.
If one nation, one election will be conducted, the States where elections were held recently will suffer as their Assemblies will be dissolved and fresh elections will be held, the BJD leader said.
On the proposed women reservation Bill, the senior BJD lawmaker said, “We have been demanding for women reservation in all legislations including Parliament and Assembly. Odisha has already reserved 50 percent of seats for women in panchayati raj institutions (PRIs). So such legislation needs to be passed in Parliament for better representation of women.”
Commenting on the one-nation, one-election system, veteran Congress lawmaker Narasingha Mishra said if there will be no problem in conducting one nation, one election, it can be done. However, as per provision, the election must be conducted every five years, he said.
The survey reports from different states show that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is losing his popularity. That’s why they (BJP) are in fear and want to go for early election, Shri Mishra said.
On the other hand, BJP State General Secretary Prithiviraj Harichandan said one nation one election would not be possible now because it requires consent from all states and political parties and many regional political parties and even opposition Congress are not in favor of the system.
“I don’t think any bill in this regard will be brought during the upcoming Parliament session,” the BJP leader said.
Notably, the Centre has formed a committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind to explore the possibility of ‘One Nation One Election’ which aims for holding of general and state elections simultaneously across the country.