The CPI(M) on Wednesday told the Prime Minister-chaired all party meet that the idea of ‘one nation, one poll’ is fundamentally anti-federal and anti-democratic and thus, against the Constitution. Terming the Government's move as “not practical” and “artificial move” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in his note distributed in the meeting that holding simultaneous polls would tamper the the constitutional scheme of accountability of the Government to the legislature.
“Apart from the technical issues involved in holding simultaneous elections to Parliament and State Assemblies, our Opposition to this is based on the fact that it is fundamentally anti-federal, anti-democratic and strikes at the roots of the parliamentary democratic system, as ordained in the Constitution.
“Article 75(3) states that the collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers is to the House of the People. Similarly, Article 164(1) concerning the Council of Ministers states that it is collectively responsible to the legislative Assembly of a state," said Yechury.
He said under the Constitution, if a government loses the confidence of the legislature either by being voted out on a no-confidence motion or by losing a vote on a Money Bill, it is bound to resign and if no alternative government can be formed, the House is dissolved and a mid-term election held.
There is no fixity of tenure enshrined in the Constitution either for the Lok Sabha or the state legislatures, the Left leader said, adding that both Article 83(2) and Article 172(1) specify that the term of the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly will be for five years, "unless sooner dissolved".
"Any attempt to prolong the life of the Lok Sabha or legislature will not only be unconstitutional, but also, anti-democratic. It is the will of the people through their elected representatives that must prevail," he said.
"We are, therefore, totally opposed to any artificial attempt to bring about simultaneous elections, which can only be done by trampling upon the existing constitutional scheme of parliamentary democracy,".