Amid 'One Nation, One Election' bill debate, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday demanded an election for the Election Commisioner of India and said if the President can be elected, then why not the Election Commissioner? "If people have doubts about EVMs, then they should be cleared. Let the voting happen on the ballot paper once. If they get the same majority, then no one would question anything after that," Uddhav said.
On 'One Nation, One Election' bill, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said, "The matter of 'One Nation, One Election' should come later, first the election of the Election Commissioner should be held. If the President can be elected, then why not the Election Commissioner? If people have doubts about EVMs, then they should be cleared. Let the voting happen on the ballot paper once. If they get the same majority, then no one would question anything after that..."
Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday claimed the Centre's move to introduce a bill on simultaneous polls in the Lok Sabha was an attempt to divert attention from issues plaguing the country.
Addressing reporters in Maharashtra's Nagpur city, Thackeray demanded a transparent election process before implementation of the 'One Nation One Election' proposal.
Even the election commissioners should be elected through polls, the former state chief minister said but did not elaborate on how to go about it.
Thackeray also said that the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government should give Rs 2,100 per month to women under the Ladki Bahin scheme, as promised before the state assembly polls held last month.
Currently, women are provided Rs 1,500 per month under the scheme, which is believed to have played a key role in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP Mahayuti coalition's victory in the November 20 state assembly polls.
The winter session of the state legislature is currently underway in Nagpur. On Tuesday, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved in the Lok Sabha two bills which lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous polls in the country, with the opposition dubbing the draft laws as an attack on the basic structure.