Patna

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said he was in favour of holding simultaneous elections to Parliament, state Assemblies, municipal bodies and panchayats. His stance is in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stand of holding elections simultaneously.

Nitish said: “I, in principal, favour holding simultaneous elections from Parliament to panchayats. Elections come every year and devour much of our time and affect development work. It is good if all elections are held simultaneously as this will not only save unnecessary poll expenditure, but also save precious time.”

“An elected government should have adequate time to work on the ground. Business of the Houses should also take place during the entire five-year tenure. Frequent polls hamper growth and development,” he said after holding a public meeting at Samvad (Chief Minister Secretariat). Parliamentary elections are due in 2019, while the Bihar Assembly polls are to be held in 2020.

Asked about dynastic politics, he said he had always been against it. Dynastic politics was embarked on by the Congress before it took roots in other political parties. “Hailing from a particular family does not mean that one would have leadership qualities? Dynastic politics is not part of our culture,” he said.