New Delhi: The BJP on Monday made a strong pitch for simultaneous polls to “curb expenditure”, amid indications in some quarters that efforts can be made to hold the Lok Sabha election with that for 10-11 assemblies early next year by delaying elections in three BJP-ruled states and advancing the same for others scheduled for later in 2019.
BJP sources, however, maintained no concrete proposal is there for deferring and advancing of state polls and the idea has not been discussed formally within the party, as constitutional validity of any such step would need to be taken into account.
With the tenure of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh assemblies expiring in January next year, a party leader indicated that a brief spell of governor’s rule may be explored for these BJP-ruled states so that assembly elections there could be held with the Lok Sabha polls early next year.
He, however, clarified that no concrete proposal has been formulated so far.
The tenure of the assembly in the Congress-ruled Mizoram is also ending in December this year.
Former Lok Sabha secretary general and constitutional expert P D T Acharya, however, questioned the legal validity of imposing the governor’s rule in states where assembly elections are due before the Lok Sabha polls. The governor’s rule can be imposed only in case of constitutional breakdown, he said.
The Lok Sabha elections, which were last held in April-May 2014, are as such expected to be held early next year along with assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana. (PTI)
