Ready to hold polls as per law, says CEC
Amid uproar over the Centre’s ‘One Nation, One Election’ concept of holding simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies across the country, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday said that the Commission is ready to conduct elections as per legal provisions.
“According to the legal procedures, the Constitution and RP Act, we have the mandate to conduct the election and we are ready,” Kumar said while responding to the reporters on ‘One Nation, One Election, in a press conference held on the preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.
“Our duty is to deliver elections before time as per constitutional provisions and the RP Act. Article 83 (2) says that 5 years will be the term of the Parliament and its corresponding section 14 of the RP Act says that 6 months before, we can announce the elections. A similar situation exists for the state assemblies. As per legal provisions, we are always ready to conduct the elections”, he said.
Meanwhile, the centre on Saturday constituted an eight-member High-Level Committee to examine the issue of ‘one nation, one election’ and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections in the country.