Karnataka To Kickstart Budget Session With Discussion On ‘One Nation, One Election’

In a first for any state, Karnataka will go into its budget session tomorrow debating on ‘One nation one election’. This will be the first for any state Assembly, said speaker Vishwanath Kageri, as reported.

Going by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion of holding discussions on the conduct of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections at the same time, Kageri said the state would be the first to hold such a debate on 4 and 5 March 2021.

The budget session will take off tomorrow and will be the first time the Assembly will open its galleries to visitors, students and the general public after almost a year owing to the pandemic.

All precautions pertaining to containment of the pandemic will be in place, assured the speaker.

The budget session will be held until 31 March and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will present the financials on 8 March 2021.

The idea for the conduct of simultaneous elections was first proposed by PM Modi in June 2019 at an all-party meeting, after which he proposed the setting up of a committee to study the same.

In November 2020, at the concluding session of the All India Presiding Officers' Conference, the PM reiterated the idea and asked them to engage the legislators in a discussion about the same.

“One nation, One election is not only a subject of debate, but a necessity for India. There is an election in India every month, which hampers development,“ said the PM, asking ’why should the country waste so much money?”.

While the state that was hit by floods apart from the pandemic is looking for a much-needed boost to its economy, different industrial sectors are looking forward to relief in the form of concessions. As per reports, the state is expected to set aside a kitty of Rs 100 crore to promote the ‘One District, One Product’ policy that will offer credit, marketing avenues and technical expertise required for the promotion of the unorganised micro-food processing sector.

At another event last week, Yediyurappa also promised that the budget will pay special attention to women's welfare and development.