‘No plans to advance or delay elections’: Union minister Anurag Thakur dismisses such reports as “media conjecture”

On Sunday (September 3), Union Minister Anurag Thakur publicly refuted claims that the Union government is planning to call snap Lok Sabha elections in the country. He asserted that the Union government has no plans to call early elections, India Today reported. Dismissing such reports as ‘media conjecture’, the Minister stated that PM Modi would like to serve the country till the last day of his term. 

Speaking to India Today, Thakur said that the government has no plans to delay the upcoming assembly elections so as to hold them later along with the general elections. He dismissed all the reports that claimed that the government could advance or delay the polls and termed such reports as “media conjecture”.

He said, “The government has set up a committee on One Nation, One Election, and the committee will do an extensive round of deliberations with stakeholders before norms are finalised for One Nation, One Election.” 

He stressed that the government would like Congress leader and leader of the single largest party in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary to be a part of the eight-member high-level committee formed for deliberating the feasibility of holding simultaneous elections in the country. 

He added, “Including the voice of the opposition shows the large-heartedness of the Modi government.” 

Though the Union Minister highlighted that the Union government has major plans for the 5-day special session of Parliament which would commence on 18 September, he did not divulge the agenda of the special session. 

He said, “The agenda of the special session will be revealed at the appropriate time by the Parliamentary affairs minister.” 

Union Minister Anurag Thakur’s remarks hold significance as it comes at a time when Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar shared their apprehensions that PM Modi may call early Lok Sabha elections in December this year. 

Additionally, there have been speculations that the Union government could introduce the One Nation, One Election bill in the special session, however, the possibility of it seems highly unlikely.  

Stating that One Nation, One Election is a constitutional reform that will benefit the country, the government has denied all these allegations raised by the opposition parties. 

While the official gazette notification didn’t specify the timeline, India Today reported that the One Nation, One Election committee is expected to submit its report within six months. Afterwards, the Union government will take a call on whether to implement the recommendations of the committee or not. 

While some have welcomed the proposal, others have expressed their apprehensions highlighting the complexities of its execution. However, the government has maintained that it will hold wide consultations on the One Nation, One Election proposal before taking any final decision.