Asserting that holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls was not possible under the existing Constitutional provisions, Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurthy today said they had not received any such proposal from the Government yet. ‘‘The EC takes a decision only on the basis of suggestions and proposals pending before it,’’ Krishnamurthy told The Indian Express. When he was asked what if the Government were to forward a proposal for simultaneous polls, he said: ‘‘We will take a view only after we receive such a proposal.’’ But a day after Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani mooted the idea of holding synchronised elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, his deputy Minister of State for Home Swami Chinmayanand, speaking at a function in Vellore on Sunday, said that the Centre would soon seek the opinion of the EC. In Hyderabad, BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu spoke of the benefits of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. ‘‘This (holding simultaneous elections) is our proposal to the Opposition,’’ he said. But there was immediate opposition from within the alliance. Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray expressed displeasure over Advani’s proposal, saying the twin polls announcement had been made without consulting any of the NDA allies. ‘‘Neither I was aware, nor did he (Advani) inform me about it. Moreover, none of the parties were consulted before Advani made the announcement.’’ Thackeray told reporters in Pune. Venkaiah Naidu, addressing the Andhra Pradesh BJP council, asked party leaders and the cadre to get ready for polls and ensure that the party base expanded. Hinting at ealy Lok Sabha polls — Advani on Saturday too said ‘‘the first quarter of the year is a good time to hold elections’’ — Naidu said: ‘‘Politically, this is an opportune time for us to strike. The political scenario at the national level is very advantageous to the BJP. While all 23 coalition partners as well as outside allies are with us, there are no takers for the Congress bid on an anti-BJP coalition.’’ Dwelling on contradictions within the anti-BJP camp, the BJP president pointed out that while the Left parties were unlikely to join hands in any pre-poll coalition with Congress, others like Samajwadi Party and NCP had their own doubts on the dominance of the Congress. ‘‘In such case, the Congress is left with only Laloo Prasad Yadav’s RJD,’’ said Naidu. A good monsoon, stable foreign exchange reserves, buoyancy in economy and launch of several welfare schemes by the NDA government were the other factors for early polls, he explained. At the same time, Naidu cautioned the state BJP against any hasty move which could mar BJP’s relations with the ruling TDP in Andhra Pradesh. ‘‘Go on working for expanding the base of the party without bothering the TDP,’’ he told the state leaders.
