Seers rally behind simultaneous elections in Haridwar
Religious leaders and political figures gathered at Shreeji Vatika in Jwalapur, Haridwar, on Sunday to voice support for the government's 'One Nation, One Election' proposal, which seeks to hold Lok Sabha and state assembly polls simultaneously. According to The Times of India, seers from both factions of the Akhara Parishad and office-bearers of most akharas attended the event and unanimously backed the initiative, arguing that it would save time and resources while reducing the administrative burden of repeated elections.
Mahant Ravindra Puri, president of one faction of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, told The Times of India: "The policy is the need of the hour. A lot of money and time is wasted due to repeated elections." He noted that in the initial decades following independence, Lok Sabha and state assembly elections were held simultaneously, but later the tenures and schedules diverged.
Baba Ramdev and political leaders weigh in
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who attended the event, said the proposal would help accelerate India's progress towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. He also remarked that elections are constantly taking place somewhere in the country throughout the year, and the electoral process impacts not only development schemes but also the education system.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were among the political leaders present, alongside representatives of major akharas. Dhami credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with bringing the issue of simultaneous elections into the national debate. He said that simultaneous elections could reduce the recurring deployment of officials, teachers, police and security forces, allowing more time for public service and development.
Chouhan urged the seers to communicate the proposal's benefits to the public and to discuss 'Vande Mataram'. He argued that frequent elections require government departments, teachers, police personnel and security forces to be deployed for election-related duties, which can affect the pace of development and public service delivery. He also said: "Country first, party later."