‘One nation, one election’ is good for the country as it helps in development and better administration, said BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi. “It is not good for a country to move from one election to the next throughout the year, which is currently the case,” he said at a press meet in Bengaluru on Friday.
"The polls in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa have just concluded. And Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will go to polls this year followed by Karnataka among other states next year. When you have staggered elections, the elected representative or the political leader is torn between the election and development work. Both elections and development are crucial and the election outcome always impacts development, too. So, in my personal opinion, it is time to discuss the ‘one nation, one election’ issue and take a decisive action," he said.
Admitting that the saffron party was initially apprehensive over facing the elections in Goa for the first time in the absence of former chief minister Manohar Parrikar, Ravi said, "The BJP win in Goa is historical as no political party has won three consecutive terms. People voted for nationalism, development and a stable government. It is a fact that the BJP was anxious about facing the assembly elections in Goa for the first time in Manohar Parrikar's absence. But I feel the people who had accepted Manohar Parrikar's leadership have identified with the BJP's ideology too. Mr Parrikar had always wanted development of Goa and the growth of nationalism in Goa. Today, both aspirations have been recognised by people who have voted for the BJP."
Taking a dig at the Karnataka Congress, Ravi said that the party would meet with the same fate as in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur, in the state assembly polls next year.
"Some Congress leaders from Karnataka had come to Goa by special flights and taken the Governor's appointment for 3pm stating they intended to form the government and had the letter of support from the legislators. They had to return empty handed. In Karnataka too, some Congress leaders are so confident that their party would come to power in 2023 that they have got new set of clothes; some have finalised portfolio allocations, while some have started transacting business assuming they will come to power. Let me remind the Congress that their divide-and-rule policy will no longer work," Ravi said, adding that the BJP would once again come to power in Karnataka as the people of the state had always voted in the interests of the country.
