While a debate over the proposal of ‘one nation, one election’ has gained momentum across the country, former MLA and social activist Bibhudhendra Pratap Das has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to adopt a system to elect the country’s Prime Minister and States’ Chief Ministers through direct voting so that development process would remain unhampered.
In a letter to the ECI, Das has placed this demand with arguments recently.
“More than a decade, it is marked that most of the States have been run by Governments not formed by a single majority party. As a result, development works have hampered and law and order is being deteriorating day by day. This present system of election, if continues, will definitely put a bad impact on democracy and extremists would have an upper hand,” argued Das.
To keep development process initiated by a PM in case of country and CM in case of a State undisturbed, people should elect them by direct vote. But the candidates to contest for the PM and CM posts should be from registered political parties so that entry of Independent candidates can be avoided.
Das argued further the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers should not be terminated for any reason before completion of three years in tenure. Both can only be terminated though ‘no confidence voting’ wich would be supported by two-third of members and the candidate who was in second position in the election should assume as the next Prime Minister and the Chief Minister for the rest time of the tenure. “If this system of elections comes into force through legislation, communalism, casteism and regionalism can be vanished in the country. Moreover, honest and efficient candidates can be chosen by citizens under this system,” contended Das.