A seminar on “Prime Minister Modi’s call for simultaneous elections to lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha,” held by the Freethought Party of India (FPI) on Friday here was inaugurated by Chief Advisor to Election Commission of India Dr Bhagaban Prakash
In the function held under the chairmanship of party president Prof Bijayananda Kar, the Freethought Party of India demanded separate polls for lok Sabha and Assembly, replacement of the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system of election by Nepal’s Proportional Representation System of Election (Mixed PR) and abolition of party symbols and free symbols in view of candidate’s photograph has already been mandated to be on the ballot paper and EVM since 2015.
While releasing the book published by the party “FPI’s “No” to PM Modi’s Call for Simultaneous Election to lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha,” Dr Bhagban Prakash expressed his happiness that on such a vital issue the party has come out with arguments as expressed in its book.
Among others, president of lokshakti Abhiyan Prafulla Samantara, Campaign for Electoral Reforms in India (CERI) Odisha chief Manas Jena, advisor to Odisha Dalit Adhikar Manch MS Yadav, FPI vice president Harischandra Kar, president of Odisha Rationalist Society Prof Dhaneswar Sahoo, atheist writer Prof Prasanna Kumar Karbara, Shivram, Odisha unit CPI (Ml) Red Star leader Shivam, CPM leader Santosh Das and co-founder of AMOFOI Swapna Bijayini and former IAS Officer Kalyan Ray also spoke. Party general secretary B Ramachandra CST Voltare delivered the welcome address and explained the objective of the seminar and drew attention to the problem of bogus voting.