Gandhinagar, May 20 (SocialNews.XYZ) Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Wednesday said simultaneous elections under the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ framework could save nearly 50 lakh man-hours in the state by reducing repeated deployment of government machinery and administrative staff for separate polls.
Speaking after a meeting with the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the proposal, Sanghavi said: "The state government had extended full support to the initiative during discussions chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel."
The 39-member parliamentary committee, headed by BJP MP P. P. Chaudhary, is on a three-day visit to Gujarat as part of nationwide consultations on the feasibility of holding Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections simultaneously.
“In the meeting, under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, today the state government interacted with the Joint Parliamentary Committee appointed by Parliament for simultaneous polls,” Sanghavi said.
He said several organisations and state government departments had made representations before the committee during its visit.
Sanghavi said Gujarat voters have repeatedly participated in elections within short intervals, citing Assembly elections in 2022, Lok Sabha elections in 2024, local self-government elections in 2026 and upcoming state elections in 2027.
“Usually voting takes place in a single day, but because of the election rules, the government machinery has to begin preparations months in advance,” he said.
He further noted, “If we talk about one individual, then to conduct one election completely, a person has to devote 15 to 25 full days for it. In Gujarat, if we talk about all the staff together, then whether it is an Assembly election or a Lok Sabha election, around 50 lakh man-hours of our entire team are consumed in the state.”
The Deputy CM also pointed to the impact of repeated enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct on administrative functioning and welfare-related work.
“The Model Code of Conduct during Lok Sabha elections remains in force for around 60 to 85 days. In Assembly elections, around 45 to 50 days are spent in the overall election process. All this time can be saved,” he said.
According to Sanghavi, simultaneous elections would reduce disruption to public services, administrative operations and law-and-order arrangements, while also reducing the burden on voters who otherwise have to participate in multiple elections over a five-year period.
The JPC has been consulting political parties, constitutional experts and state governments on the proposal.
Earlier in the day, leaders from the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), along with MLAs, ministers and State Legislative Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, attended the consultations in Gandhinagar.
The proposal for simultaneous elections is being examined following recommendations made by the high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which suggested aligning electoral cycles and implementing the process in phases beginning from 2029, subject to constitutional amendments.
Source: IANS
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