Conduct Lok Sabha, Legislative Assembly Polls Together In 2024: BJP Leader's PIL In Delhi High Court

A public interest litigation has been moved in the Delhi High Court praying that Centre and Election Commission of India be directed to ascertain the feasibility of conducting elections to Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly together in 2024.

The plea filed by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who is also an advocate, seeks a direction on Central Government and Election Commission of India (ECI) to ascertain the feasibility of conducting elections on holidays, including Saturdays and Sundays, in order to save “valuable time of schools, colleges, universities, service industries and manufacturing organizations.”

Upadhyay has submitted that it is important to have the polls together to save public money, reduce burden on security forces and public administration on election duty and election commission’s staff who have to organize booths, electronic voting machines and voter slips.

The plea submits that imposition of Model Code of Conduct delays implementation of central and state government projects and welfare schemes and “takes away time and effort from governance issues.”

“As elections have become a big budget affair and expensive, the Law Commission of India in its 170th Report on Reform of Electoral Laws (1999) has suggested simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for the sake of stability in governance. But the Centre and ECI did not take appropriate steps,” the plea adds.

Accordingly, Upadhyay has also sought implementation of the recommendations of the Law Commission of India.

“The elections to assemblies whose terms are expiring in 2023 and 2024 may be brought together with 2024 ·Lok Sabha Election by curtailing and extending of the tenure. If consensus evolves among political parties; assembly elections of 16 States i.e. Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Telangana, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal . Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand can be held with 2024 General Election,” the plea states.

The plea also states that since the majority of the states are ruled by the NDA government, the consensus would emerge without much difficulty, adding that it will result in simultaneous assembly polls of 16 States with General Elections in 2024.

“Once the elections are held together and the mmnmoth election process is over, government will get a clear 58 months to carry out important reforms m1d since this is a large enough window for their results to be visible, it will make life easier for the political class,” the plea states.

Title: ASHWINI KUMAR UPADHYAY v. UNION OF INDIA & OTHERS