Simultaneous polls will destroy democracy: AAP

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)  firmly believes that simultaneous elections will “destroy” India’s parliamentary democracy and federalism, its senior leader Ashish Khetan said on Sunday.

Khetan, who met the chairman of the Law Commission and its members, said AAP will submit a detailed paper to the commission outlining the party’s position on the matter.

The Law Commission had on June 14 written to all recognised political parties seeking their views on the issue.

“Met Law Commission Chairman & Members. Told them that AAP firmly believes that simultaneous elections will destroy our parliamentary democracy & federalism & it will mean mutilating the basic structure of our Const-itution. We will soon submit a detailed paper before the Comm (sic),” he tweeted.

Seeking to give shape to the government’s concept of “one nation, one election”, the commission’s internal working paper has recommended hold-ing Lok Sabha and Assembly polls simultaneously but in two phases beginning 2019.

The second phase of simultaneous polls can take place in 2024, the document states.

The internal paper has proposed amending the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act to shorten or extend the terms of state legislative assemblies to effect the move.

The proposal to hold simultaneous polls is being pushed by the central government.

Political parties were divided on the issue of holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls simultaneously with four supporting the idea and nine opposing it, even as the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress stayed away from a consultation organised by the Law Commission on the subject.

At the end of the two-day consultation on simultaneous polls, besides the NDA ally Shiromani Akali Dal, the AIADMK, the Samajwadi Party and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti supported the idea. However, BJP ally Goa Forward Party opposed the concept as did the Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, DMK, Telugu Desam Party, CPI, CPI (M), Forward Block and the JD (S).