Over 5k bodies give thumbs up to One Nation One Election
1
2
3
Lucknow: Groundswell for the BJP-backed
One Nation One Election
(ONOE) campaign may well be building up. Over 5,000 organisations, including local bodies, lent their support to the campaign, prompting the saffron outfit to step up its feedback-gaining exercise.
UP
BJP
state general secretary and co-convener of the ONOE committee, Anup Gupta said that nearly 5,300 local bodies, including nagar panchayats, nagar palika parishads, nagar nigams, kshetra panchayats, gram panchayats and even cooperative societies, sent their letters of support to the President.
"We also collected the copies of their support proposals. This clearly shows that the issue found significant resonance at the ground level," he told TOI on Thursday.
Sources said that the BJP mobilised civil society, including NGOs and professionals, to give their feedback as part of an extensive outreach campaign aimed at building consensus for simultaneous elections across India.
Early this year, the BJP launched a pan-India campaign to raise awareness about its ambitious plan for simultaneous elections and build broad public consensus around it. The advocacy, sources said, is essentially guided by a central BJP committee led by Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, with BJP general secretary Sunil Bansal as the national coordinator.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting
Luxeartisanship
Buy Now
Undo
Panels have also been formed at the state level to take the message forward.
The outreach focused on facilitating meetings on the need for ONOE with various sections of society, including academia, doctors, lawyers, traders, ex-servicemen, youth, women, farmers and sportspersons, as well as elected bodies like panchayats, nagar palikas and zila parishads. Deliverables of the campaign include pro-ONOE resolutions being passed by these bodies and organisations, all addressed to President Droupadi Murmu.
A senior BJP functionary said that the campaign primarily aims to highlight its potential to reduce electoral expenditure and strengthen national unity. He stressed that the idea aligns with the Constitution's preamble, promoting a unified national identity. The BJP has been a vocal proponent of ONOE. Senior party functionaries have been arguing that frequent elections disrupt governance and development. Implementing ONOE could boost GDP by 1-1.5% by providing govts with more stable time for development work, the BJP stated.
The opposition parties, including Congress, SP and BSP, however, have been vocal against the ONOE, believing that it would undermine the federal structure of the Indian Constitution and the states may lose autonomy. The BJP has been dismissing concerns that ONOE would harm regional parties, citing the historical precedent of simultaneous elections from 1951 to 1967.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
Who is Alex Marquardt, and how a defamation case cost CNN nearly $5 million
CNN's chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt announced his departure from the network on Monday, ending an eight-year tenure marked by both high-profile reporting and a costly legal controversy. Marquardt did not mention the defamation lawsuit that shadowed his final months at CNN, nor the reasons behind his exit, in a brief farewell message posted on X. 'Tough to say goodbye but it's been an honor to work among the very best in the business,' he wrote. 'Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I've worked with in the US and abroad.' — MarquardtA (@MarquardtA) Defamation case and fallout Earlier this year, a Florida jury awarded $5 million to former CIA operative and US Navy veteran Zachary Young, who successfully sued CNN for defamation over a 2021 report by Marquardt. The segment aired on 'The Lead with Jake Tapper' and alleged that desperate Afghans were being exploited by a 'black market' charging exorbitant fees to facilitate evacuation after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The controversy centred on Young, the only contractor named in the piece, who was portrayed as part of this black market. The on-screen banner and other promotional material implied illegal behaviour, although the report itself did not explicitly accuse Young of wrongdoing. Young's lawsuit argued that the story ruined his reputation, destroyed his $350,000 annual income, and caused severe emotional distress. Young maintained his business only helped corporate sponsors and did not exploit individuals. Marquardt's report cited Afghans and activists claiming people were charging 'impossible' sums—up to $10,000 per person—to evacuate, referencing a LinkedIn post from Young and texts between Young and others. CNN initially stood by the report but later issued a correction stating it 'did not intend to suggest that Mr Young participated in a black market.' This, however, did not satisfy Young, who filed suit. Live Events Internal messages and legal consequences Court records revealed troubling internal communications between Marquardt and colleagues. Marquardt called Young a 'Zach Young motherf—er' he was going to 'nail.' Another producer described Young as having a 'punchable face.' These messages were a key factor in the jury's decision that CNN acted with 'actual malice,' a legal standard easier to meet since Young was not a public figure. Marquardt defended his work during the trial, insisting: 'I reported the facts. I reported what I found. Everything in there was factual, accurate and, I believe, fair.' He also contested that the legal team pushed the network to issue the correction to avoid a lawsuit. The jury's decision came after less than nine hours of deliberation during a two-week trial in Panama City, Florida. Following the verdict, CNN and Young reached an undisclosed settlement just as the trial was about to enter a punitive damages phase that could have added millions more to the cost. Departure and network reaction Sources close to CNN told former media correspondent Oliver Darcy that Marquardt's exit was linked to 'editorial differences' with network leadership, a phrase often signalling internal disputes. CNN declined to comment on the circumstances, calling the matter 'personnel-related.' The legal battle and negative publicity come at a difficult time for CNN, which has faced harsh criticism from conservatives, including former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked the network's credibility. The case drew comparisons to a similar defamation lawsuit settled by ABC News for $15 million with Trump. A CNN spokesperson said after the verdict, 'We remain proud of our journalists and are 100% committed to strong, fearless and fair-minded reporting at CNN, though we will of course take what useful lessons we can from this case.' Before joining CNN, Marquardt worked as a foreign correspondent for ABC News in Moscow, Jerusalem, Beirut, and London. He has won multiple accolades, including Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards for investigations into underage sex trafficking in the Philippines. At CNN, he was promoted to chief national security correspondent in late 2023 and often anchored major coverage, including the Russian-Ukrainian war. His departure marks the end of a turbulent chapter for CNN, underscoring the risks networks face when reporting on sensitive national security issues in an increasingly polarised media environment.
India.com
37 minutes ago
- India.com
Full list of countries with Nuclear weapons, India and Bankrupt Pakistan are at.., country with maximum nuclear bomb is...
New Delhi: The world today stands on the blink of nuclear war. There are fears of Vladimir Putin launching a nuclear attack on Ukraine. Soon after the Pahalgam attack, where Pakistan-backed terrorists killed innocent tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, the possibility of a nuclear conflict also escalated between India and Pakistan. Today, in this article, we will tell you how many countries in the world possess nuclear weapons and where India stands among them. In the current global scenario, many countries seek to acquire nuclear weapons for their security, despite the significant risks involved. Recently, concerns have been raised that Iran may soon develop nuclear weapons. In this context, find out how many countries in the world possess nuclear weapons and where India stands among them. Here is the complete list of countries with Nuclear weapons: Russia: Russia possesses the world's largest nuclear arsenal, with approximately 5,449 warheads. United States: The US is also a nuclear-armed country with 5,277 warheads. It maintains land, sea, and air-based weapons while modernising its nuclear triad alongside ongoing efforts in nuclear disarmament diplomacy. China: As of 2025, the country has approximately 600 nuclear warheads and is actively working on expanding and diversifying its missile systems. France: France has about 290 nuclear warheads, primarily delivered via submarine-launched ballistic missiles and air-based systems. United Kingdom: The UK possesses around 225 nuclear warheads, primarily deployed on Trident submarines. India: India has about 180 nuclear warheads, following a strategy of minimum credible deterrence. Pakistan: Pakistan has an estimated 170 nuclear warheads in 2025, including short-range tactical weapons Israel: Israel is estimated to have around 90 nuclear warheads North Korea: North Korea also holds approximately 50 nuclear warheads.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘With support of your friends in China…': Shashi Tharoor censures Pakistan, Beijing for shielding terror group at UN
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is currently leading an all-party delegation overseas, attacked Pakistan and China for preventing Lashkar-e-Taiba's 'The Resistance Front' (TRF) from being named in a UNSC statement. Tharoor alleged that Pakistan, 'with the support of their friends in China', made sure that the front is not named in a press statement made by the United Nations Security Council. While interacting with Ambassador Celso Amorim, Head Adviser of the Special Advisory to the President of Brazil, Tharoor pointed out that India tried to raise the issue of LeT-backed terror group the Resistance Front before the UN Sanctions Committee multiple times, but the action was blocked by China's support to Pakistan. Tharoor said, 'LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) has created this front called Resistance Front, we have been reporting about Resistance Front to UN Sanctions Committee, time after time. They (TRF) claimed credit for the killings, and the next day they repeated that claim. But when they realised the gravity of it, their handlers in Pakistan got them to delete the claim. However, their claim is on record for 24 hours.' Attacking Pakistan and Beijing, the Congress MP said, 'When India encouraged our friends on Security Council to mention the Resistance Front in the press statement that Security Council issued, Pakistan government, I am sorry to say that, with the support of your friend in China, took out the name, so there is not even a reference.' Tharoor, among other MPs, is part of an all-party delegation tasked with travelling to dozens of countries and spreading the message behind India's Operation Sindoor and the fight against terrorism. During his interaction with Ambassador Amorim in Brazil, the senior Congress leader said that India's fight is against terrorism being used as an instrument of state policy. He also pointed out how the funerals of terrorists who were killed in Operation Sindoor were attended by senior police and military officials in Pakistan. Tharoor, while holding up a photo of one of these funerals, said, 'When we struck those terror bases on May 7, there was a funeral at one of these sites conducted by Hafiz Abdur Rauf, an LeT figure named by the United Nations. Look who's attending the funeral – uniformed officials of the police and military of Pakistan. These are all senior officials, this is what is going on in Pakistan.'
