“Another failed effort to divert from real issues,” TMC’s Shatrughan Sinha on ‘One Nation One Election’ Bill

New Delhi [India], December 12 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday lashed out at the government over the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill, calling it a failed attempt to distract people’s attention from the real issues. He further added that the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) is in danger.

“… Everyone knows what they are trying to do with this. It is just another failed effort to divert from the real issues. This is not practical and natural. It would have happened long ago had it been possible… The Election Commission and its functioning is in danger…” said Shatrughan Sinha.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Kangana Ranaut, supported the ‘One Nation, One Election’ initiative, describing it as the need of the hour. She pointed out that conducting elections every six months imposes a significant financial burden on the government.

Speaking to the media, Ranaut highlighted the challenges associated with recurring elections, particularly voter turnout.

“‘One Nation, One Election’ is very important because conducting elections every six months costs the government treasury a great deal. The biggest challenge is encouraging people to come out and vote repeatedly. Voter turnout is declining every year. This is the need of the hour, and everyone supports it,” she said.

Notably, the Union Cabinet approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill, paving the way for its introduction in Parliament.

Following the approval, a comprehensive bill is expected to be tabled, laying the groundwork for unified elections across the country.

Earlier on Wednesday, former President of India Ram Nath Kovind emphasised the importance of building a consensus on the initiative, underscoring its significance beyond political interests.

Kovind, who chairs the committee on the matter, stated that the Central government must build consensus, as this issue concerns the nation, not a single political party. He further added that ‘One Nation, One Election’ could be a game-changer–not just my opinion but that of economists, who predict that its implementation could boost the country’s GDP by 1-1.5 per cent.