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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday came out in support of the proposal to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies across the country. Taking to Twitter, Patnaik said: Elections are essential in democracy. We are elected to work for the people. When elections are held throughout the year, it affects the development works. Therefore we support the suggestion of PM @narendramodi for simultaneous elections. This will serve the country well.

BJD leaders welcomed the CM’s statement. The party’s Baleswar MP Rabindra Kumar Jena said, “this prudent move will save fiscal resources as well as time.” However, veteran Congressman and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Narasingha Mishra said he personally thinks, “The CM may have thought simultaneous elections will benefit him and the BJD because the BJP cannot dump all its muscle and money power in one state, as they have been doing since 2014. Or he has given his endorsement without realizing the proposal cannot be done unless there are constitutional amendments.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier floated the benefit of simultaneous elections in an interview, saying security forces and police find it difficult to attend their normal duties when they are busy in election duties. Modi called for a national debate on the idea of simultaneous elections.

Patnaik made the Twitter statement referring to an April letter from Law Commission of India Chairman Justice B S Chauhan. Along with the letter, Chauhan had attached a draft working paper on “Simultaneous Elections- Constitutional and Legal Perspectives.”

The draft paper stated that while simultaneous elections would include all three tiers of government, elections to local bodies are too big to be dealt with and is a state subject. Simultaneous elections were held in India up to 1967, the paper said. The system exists in South Africa, Sweden and Belgium.