Advani asks Pranab to check mid-term poll

BJP patriarch L K Advani has urged President Pranab Mukherjee to take initiative to bring electoral reforms, particularly to hold poll to the LS and state assemblies at the same time.

“Let the new President take an initiative with regard to poll reforms,” Advani wrote in his latest blog post on Sunday. He said the UPA government should, “at least” accomplish the feat of effecting the electoral reforms. 

He said a fixed tenure for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and simultaneous elections at the Centre and states every five years was an essential reform as one poll after another have kept the nation perpetually in election mode adversely affecting the governance.

Advani said he had discussed the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Finance Minister Mukherjee. “I found both of them receptive to the suggestion that there should be no dissolution of either the Lok Sabha or the state assemblies midway.” he said.