Simultaneous polls: BJD calls for adoption of German model

The party has proposed a solution bypassing the need for mid-term elections, even if an elected parliamentary government loses the confidence of the majority of members.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for one-nation, one-election means that all elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislatures are held simultaneously. (File)

The BJD has pointed to a provision used in Germany which could form the basis of a possible constitutional amendment to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for one-nation, one-election, in which in all elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislatures are held simultaneously.

The party has proposed a solution bypassing the need for mid-term elections, even if an elected parliamentary government loses the confidence of the majority of members.

The German provision allows a Parliament to withdraw confidence from a head of government only if there is a positive majority for a prospective successor.

The principle ensures that the new head of government has enough parliamentary support to govern without calling for fresh elections. “The underlying premise is that there is a fixed five-year-tenure (for the House) and that there will be a government no matter what. The government will be presumed to have a majority unless another grouping is in a position to demonstrate that they have greater numbers,” said BJD’s Lok Sabha leader Pinaki Misra.

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