'Modi does not have majority to ...': Chidambaram says 'One Nation, One Election' not possible under present Constitution

NEW DELHI: Former Union minister P Chidambaram on Monday cast doubts over the implementation of ‘One Nation, One Election’ by the BJP-led government, claiming that the initiative is not possible under the present Constitution and would require at least five constitutional amendments.

The Congress leader claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have the majority to pass constitutional amendments in either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.

"‘One nation, one election’ is not possible under the present Constitution. It requires at least five constitutional amendments. Mr Modi does not have the majority to pass those amendments in either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha," Chidambaram said.

This comes days after PM Modi spoke about the initiative during his Independence Day speech last month, saying that frequent elections create hurdles to the country's progress. However, Chidambaram dismissed these claims, saying that there are major constitutional obstacles to implementing such a policy.

The Congress leader reaffirmed that the INDIA bloc stands against the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal.

Meanwhile, Chidambaram also refuted PM Modi's allegation that the Congress wanted to end reservations made during a rally in Kurukshetra on September 15.

"Why should we abolish reservation? We are the ones who are asking for a caste census and for reservation to be according to the population. Do not believe everything the Prime Minister says," he said.

Chidambaram also appealed to voters to support Congress in the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana.

Taking a dig at BJP 's 'double-engine government' slogan, Chidambaram said, " One engine is without fuel, and the other is completely broken down. The time has come to junk the two engines.”