Cong dismantled simultaneous polls to retain power: Anil Antony

United News of India

4 hours ago

Bengaluru, June 8 (UNI) BJP leader Anil K Antony on Sunday launched a pointed attack on the Congress party, accusing it of derailing India's once-successful system of simultaneous elections for political gain.
Supporting the Centre's push for the 'One Nation, One Election' initiative, he said the practice functioned smoothly until it was disrupted by the Congress government under Indira Gandhi after 1967.
'From 1951 to 1967, India conducted Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections together, ensuring stability and good governance,' Antony said at a policy forum here. 'But this changed when Mrs Indira Gandhi came to power. In the following three years, several non-Congress governments were dismissed, and political manipulation led to the collapse of the synchronised election cycle. By the late 1970s, the system had been completely derailed.'
Calling this disruption a "self-serving move" by the Congress to retain power, Antony argued that decades of disjointed elections have since burdened the country with administrative delays, fiscal strain, and reduced governance efficiency.
He cited the 2023 report of the High-Level Committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which strongly recommended synchronised elections. 'According to the report, implementing 'One Nation, One Election' can boost India's GDP by 1.5% annually — equivalent to ₹4–7 lakh crore — which is nearly 50% of our healthcare budget and one-third of our education budget,' he said.
Antony highlighted the heavy toll of India's year-round election cycle. 'In the last 30 years, there hasn't been a single year without elections. Due to the frequent enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, governance comes to a halt for almost five months every year. State and national leaders are in permanent campaign mode instead of focusing on development.'
He said that restoring the synchronised election system is not a political move but a nation-first reform aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of making India a developed nation by 2047.
'This isn't about BJP. Even in 1983, the Election Commission — under a Congress-led government — said India should return to joint elections. Our founding leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani supported this idea in the 1980s. It's about bringing back stability,' Antony said.
Citing India's rapid rise from a $2 trillion economy in 2014 to the verge of becoming a $5 trillion economy, Antony argued that electoral reforms are essential to sustain and accelerate this growth. 'We are now the fastest-growing digital economy. The startup boom in cities like Bengaluru — from just 500 startups in 2014 to over 1.25 lakh today — shows the kind of momentum we've built. Reforms like One Nation, One Election will ensure that governance keeps pace.'
The High-Level Committee's consultations with lakhs of citizens and experts led to an 800-page report submitted to the President of India, affirming the economic, administrative, and democratic benefits of the reform. Among the members were Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former J\\\\\\\\&K CM Ghulam Nabi Azad, and legal luminary Harish Salve.
Asserting that the initiative will 'increase democratic participation, improve administrative efficiency, and reduce unnecessary public expenditure,' Antony urged all stakeholders to support the move.
'Synchronised elections will free the government from continuous electoral distraction and unleash the full potential of governance. It's time to correct the mistake Congress made decades ago and put the nation back on a stable, growth-focused track,' he said.
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