Hopeful on simultaneous general, assembly elections: Parliament panel

Kolkata, June 16: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which is exploring the possibility of aligning the Lok Sabha and assembly polls across India, on Tuesday expressed hope of a consensus, and support from all stakeholders. Interacting with media persons here, committee chairman E.M.S. Natchiappan said the frequent elections across the country results in a government losing time to undertake developmental work. "Almost every year, we have assembly elections in some state or the other. This means for at least three months, no development work can be done due to the enforcement of the model code of conduct. "If the polls are held simultaneously, then the party in power - be it a regional or a national party - will have to implement its election manifesto and it cannot hide behind the alibi that a government is not cooperating or there is lack of clarity in policies and other excuses," said Natchiappan.