New Delhi, Aug 03: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's suggestion for synchronising Lok Sabha and assembly polls today met with mixed response with election experts expressing scepticism over the proposal and the BJP fully backing it. Election administrators feel that Advani's proposal could be impractical with lot of political and constitutional difficulties in implementing it.
Former election commissioner G V G Krishnamurthy said though Advani's suggestion was "good", any amendment to the Constitution for the purpose was an "intractable" proposition and synchronisation of parliamentary and assembly polls was "impractical".
EC has been holding simultaneous elections wherever possible, Krishnamurthy said and added such a move would be beneficial to the country, people and political parties.
Election Commission sources said that though administratively it might be desirable, but practically there would be many difficulties.
This was because freedom to extending the term of the house or preponing the poll schedule required a constitution amendment, the sources said emphasising that the assembly elections in five states Mizoram, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh have to be held as scheduled by the end of the year.
Bureau Report