New Delhi: Congress on Thursday said holding simultaneous elections across the country was a big issue that may require a Constitutional amendment and a larger debate and consensus among political parties before arriving at a final decision.
"The Prime Minister has been very active on this issue. This is an issue that needs a larger debate. It may look theoretically very easy to say something, but realistically there may be requirements for a Constitutional amendment too. It calls for a larger debate and all political parties must be involved. The larger question is of electoral reforms under the system. It is not having an election on a given date, but more important is electoral reforms," Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said.
He said it needs to be seen how far the Election Commission and the government of India move in this direction and how much discussions they hold with opposition parties before taking a final call on the issue.
"These are larger issues. India is not a Madhya Pradesh or Gujarat, it is a large state. It is not an issue which can be sorted out by just saying that we have one election.
"Yes, I agree, financially it will be viable. But the viability becomes sensible only if it is feasible in real terms. And in real terms, it is a huge challenge which the Election Commission and the political parties in India must arrive at a consensus," he said.
To a question on Quami Ekta Dal's Mukhtar Ansari joining Mayawati's BSP in the run-up to Uttar Pradesh polls, he said, it has now been proved that she may include more such people despite talking about 'goondaraj'.
"It has been proved now that Mayawati, who talked about 'goondaraj', will include Ansari and his friends in the BSP and we will see what BSP talks about 'goondaraj'," Vadakkan said.
