On Saturday, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati said that it would have been better if the Lok Sabha elections were held in three or four phases.
“Our party welcomes today’s announcement of dates for the Lok Sabha General Elections 2024, but it would have been much better if the elections were held in a shorter period of time, in about three or four phases, so that both time and resources could have been saved, and it would have also been possible to reduce election expenses.” Mayawati said in a post on X.
The Dalit leader mentioned that prolonged elections are particularly challenging for the BSP, “which functions through the body, mind and money of the poor, the neglected and the weaker sections to compete with wealthy parties in a fair manner. She also stated that the nation's citizens have high expectations for the Election Commission to uphold its constitutional duty of holding free and fair elections.
Mayawati also requested the EC to strictly comply with the Model Code of Conduct, and urged it to “stop the misuse of government machinery.”
“It is also very important to strictly follow the Model Code of Conduct to provide equal electoral opportunities to various political parties", she added.
[With Inputs from PTI]