West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to travel to New Delhi on Monday, following her attendance at the opening day of the state’s budget session. She will be attending a meeting of the ‘one nation one election’ committee on February 6.
In a letter to the high-level committee last month, Banerjee expressed her disagreement with the idea of simultaneous elections, stating that it would go against the fundamental structure of India’s constitutional arrangements. However, during her recent protest demanding the release of central funds for the state, Banerjee mentioned her upcoming visit to Delhi on February 5 for the ‘one nation one election’ meeting.
“They have formed an expert committee and have requested my opinion on this matter,” she informed the crowd.
Banerjee’s visit to Delhi comes at a time when her party’s alliance with opposition party Congress seems to be strained, as evident from her recent statements that TMC will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal alone. She also expressed doubt over Congress’ ability to secure more than 40 seats across the country in the general elections.
“I am going to Delhi for a day, but not for political reasons. I will leave on February 5 in the evening and return on February 6 after the committee meeting that afternoon. The state’s budget will be presented in the assembly on February 8,” the chief minister stated.
The committee, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, has been tasked to examine and provide recommendations for conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities, and panchayats, while considering the existing constitutional framework.
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