Chennai: The Tamil Nadu assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution seeking the Union government to not implement the 'one nation, one election' policy. Chief Minister M K Stalin moved the resolution, besides another one urging the Centre not carry out delimitation of constituencies based on the census after 2026. DMK allies, Congress, VCK, MDMK and the Left parties supported the resolution.
The 'One Nation, One Election' move was "against democracy, impractical; not enshrined in the Constitution of India," the resolution said. "Elections to local bodies, state Assemblies and Parliament are being held at different times on the basis of people centric issues in (a) vast and diverse country like India and it is against the idea of democratic decentralisation," the resolution added.
PMK MLAs were absent during the resolution. AIADMK MLA N Thalavai Sundaram said the party would support one nation, one election policy in the event of realization of its ten demands in ten years, which were represented to former President Ram Nath Kovind-led high level committee. The AIADMK felt the expenditure due to elections would see a decline given the interruptions of election code of conduct periodically.
"We are not saying it should not be implemented immediately. Can take ten years, get the EVMs ready in five years. The seats of state assemblies and Parliament should not get reduced after delimitation," the former Law minister said.
The second resolution moved by the chief minister said, "This august house also urges that states like Tamil Nadu should not be penalized for implementing various socio-economic development programmes and welfare schemes for the benefit of the people over the past 50 years." Due to unavoidable reasons, if the number of seats on the basis of population were to increase, it shall be maintained at the present ratio of the constituencies between the states in the state assemblies and both houses of parliament fixed based on the population of 1971, the resolution said.
The AIADMK supported the resolution, pointing to the population control measures in the southern states and lack of it in the northern states. BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan said the party 'shared the concern' expressed in the resolution on delimitation exercise and termed the observations of the parties on the one nation, one election as 'unfounded'. The BJP leader said the state govt should take into account late chief minister and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi’s endorsement of the concept and penned down his thoughts in his biography, Nenjukku Neethi. “The resolution on one nation, one election is unnecessary,” she said, strongly opposing the government resolution.
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