Development will happen unhindered for 5 years if simultaneous polls are held: Mahajan

Indore, Dec 17 (PTI) Former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Tuesday said that if parliamentary and state assembly elections are held simultaneously, then developmental works can happen without any hindrance for five years.

Mahajan said this while advocating for the bill having provision of holding these elections simultaneously.

Two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections in the country were introduced in the Lok Sabha after a fiery 90-minute debate on Tuesday with the opposition terming the move as "dictatorial".

Talking to reporters, Mahajan said, "If this bill becomes a law and comes into force, it will be a good thing because development work will be done without any hindrance for five years. All the governments of the country will be able to move forward with a concrete programme of development." "This bill has a long way to go, but it is a good thing that discussions have started on it," she said.

The senior BJP leader said that this bill will not come into force immediately after being passed in Parliament and steps will be taken gradually for its implementation, Mahajan said.

On the opposition protesting against the One Nation One Election bills, she said, "The opposition will have to think that there was a time when elections were held simultaneously in the country and why the situation of mid-term elections arose?" PTI HWP ADU NP