Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday extended his support to the Centre’s “One Nation One Election” initiative, stating that the move would strengthen democracy and significantly reduce election-related expenditure.

Participating in a dialogue with the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the proposed reform, Dhami emphasized the need for synchronized elections across the country. “It’s an important initiative to fortify our democratic framework and ease the financial burden on both state and central governments,” he said.

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Dhami noted that while India’s current electoral system is robust and functional despite its vast diversity, frequent elections disrupt governance. “The model code of conduct is repeatedly enforced due to staggered parliamentary and assembly elections, bringing state machinery to a standstill. A large portion of the workforce is diverted from essential public services to election duties,” he said.

The Chief Minister revealed that in the past three years, the Uttarakhand administration was prevented from making key policy decisions for nearly 175 days due to the imposition of the code of conduct for Assembly, Lok Sabha, and civic elections. “For a small state with limited resources, 175 days is a significant loss. Joint elections would reduce this disruption and cut costs by nearly 30 to 35 per cent,” he added.

Highlighting Uttarakhand’s unique challenges, Dhami pointed out that the state’s difficult mountainous terrain and remote polling locations make the election process time-consuming and costly. “People lose interest in voting when the process is frequent and cumbersome. One Nation One Election would bring much-needed efficiency,” he said.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee, chaired by PP Chaudhary, is on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand to gather views from the state government and public on the proposed legislation to implement the policy.