The Gujarat ex-MLA Council has suggested to have all the elections from Lok Sabha down to the village panchayat on one day every five years on the lines of the US. The idea was discussed at the councils meeting in Gandhinagar early this week. The council has now written to the central government as well as the Election Commission to consider its suggestions and if need be,amend the Constitution for the purpose. Former MLA Shankerlal Guru,who heads the Council,told The Indian Express that the frequent elections not only entailed huge expenditure on the exchequer but also obstructed development as it meant loss of scores of man-days. Under the existing system,there is always election in one or the other state,either assembly or panchayat elections. The frequent electoral process not only engages the government officials but also the people who had to forgo their work to go for casting their votes, he said.
