The Tamil Nadu Assembly today passed two resolutions, the first of its kind by any state legislature: one against the Centre’s ‘One Nation One Election’ campaign, which calls for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies, and the other against a delimitation exercise following a new Census.
Chief Minister MK Stalin moved a resolution opposing the delimitation plan, arguing that states like Tamil Nadu, which have successfully managed their populations, shouldn’t be penalized and those that have failed shouldn’t be rewarded. He emphasized that if a delimitation exercise is carried out without taking these factors into account, Tamil Nadu and other southern states stand to lose both power and rights.
Mr. Stalin drew attention to the fact that Tamil Nadu and Bihar had comparable populations in 1971. However, he claimed that in the last fifty years, the population of Bihar has increased to be more than 1.5 times that of Tamil Nadu. “With 39 MPs, we are pleading already. What will happen if the numbers decline?” he enquired.
The ‘One Nation, One Election’ plan, which is presently being examined by a committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, was then met with resistance by the DMK chief. The plan poses a “threat to democratic decentralisation,” according to Mr. Stalin. It is not enshrined in the Indian Constitution and is therefore impractical. In a vast and diverse country like India, elections to local bodies, state assemblies, and the parliament are held at different times based on issues that are important to the people,” he said.
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Congress, one of DMK’s allies, backed the resolution. K Selvaperunthagai, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, declared: “The claim that elections are expensive is untrue. It represents less than 1% of the national budget, the speaker state
The ‘One Nation One Election’ plan was offered conditional support by the AIADMK, which recently severed its ties with the BJP. The resolution opposing the delimitation exercise was supported by the majority opposition party.
Vanathi Srinivasan, a BJP MLA, supported the resolution opposing delimitation but opposed the one contesting the idea of a “One Nation One Election.” According to her, the purpose of the poll reform is to enable the smooth execution of welfare programs that are impeded by the poll code prior to state elections.
