Advani pitches for a uniform poll code

The government, he indicated, was keen to push through the decision in the coming polls itself, ‘‘either by rescheduling the poll time table or if necessary, by some amendment of the Constitution.’’ Asked about the suitable time for holding elections, he said ‘‘first quarter of the year’’ was a good time.

Advani—on his one-day trip to Pune to attend functions organised by a co-operative bank and an eye-hospital—said that although the idea was at a nascent stage, it had already been ‘‘informally’’ discussed with the members of the Election Commission and also with one of NDA’s major allies — the TDP. Their response had been positive.

Advani said that five years in government had made them ‘‘intensely conscious’’ of the fact that the continuing election mode was a serious handicap for the ruling party. All the Election Commission needs is 45 days for the poll formalities.

‘‘Every important decision — budget, any economic reform, LPG price hike — is influenced by consideration of how a voter will react. During discussions, electoral considerations used to come up, whether they were elections in Punjab or in UP,’’ Advani said. Besides governance, Advani’s formula also has a political angle. It is being seen as the latest BJP device to consolidate the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and prevent an alternative Congress-led alliance from taking shape.

The NDA comprises the parties which have no clash of interests with the BJP. Once both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are synchronised, the alliance partners would only come closer to one another. On the other hand, most potential allies of the Congress at the Centre compete with it in the states.

Simultaneous elections would force all anti-BJP parties to fight the Congress for the sake of their own survival. The Congress would be naturally forced to tread a lonely path.

The BJP is already in alliance with its key allies in the states: Shiv Sena (Maharashtra), Samata Party (Bihar), Biju Janata Dal (Orissa), Trinamool Congress (West Bengal) and Akali Dal (Punjab).

The party has had seat adjustments with some others like the Telugu Desam and the Indian National Lok Dal. Besides, the party shares power with the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh, which is not a constituent of the NDA. Therefore, simultaneous elections would only make the BJP and its partners more dependent on one another.

The BJP state units are at odds with two NDA partners—DMK (Tamil Nadu) and INLD (Haryana). However, the BJP has the luxury of a potential ally in the AIADMK to replace the DMK. The situation in Haryana is under control because the relations between central BJP leaders and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala remain cordial.

The Congress can ideally look forward to alliances with the CPI(M) and its Left Front partners, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), RJD, Samajwadi Party, DMK and Muslim League.

However, ground realities would make the task rather impossible. The Congress competes with the Left Front for power in Kerala and Tripura. In West Bengal, the Congress draws its strength from what is essentially the anti-Left vote. Once the two formations come together, they would have to yield space to a third force in all three states.

Moreover, the Congress benefits from the bipolar polity in many states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. When Assembly elections are held separately, it’s local factors which come in to play. Sonia’s foreign-origin and deficiencies of leadership are not that key. Once, elections to the Lok Sabha take place along side, congress prospects would be influenced by these factors too.