Agartala, April 8 (IANS) Former Tripura Chief Minister and Lok Sabha Member Biplab Kumar Deb on Tuesday strongly defended the ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) Bill, saying that the initiative would bring significant savings in time, money, and resources.

A Lok Sabha member from the Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency, Deb, while addressing a series of conventions on ONOE, said that the initiative is not the BJP’s invention.

“After India’s Independence, simultaneous elections were the norm. It was Congress’s misuse of Article 356 to topple state governments that broke that cycle,” he explained.

The former Chief Minister also accused both the Congress and the CPI-M of “hypocrisy”, stating, “When in power, they supported it. Now they claim it’s a threat to democracy. This shows they lack understanding of the country’s political history.”

Deb pointed out that a synchronised election system would promote political stability, accelerate development, and allow the government to channel funds more efficiently into welfare programs.

Deb, former President of the BJP’s Tripura unit, said if the Bill is passed, the country will be able to save huge money, time and spend resources and time on the development and welfare of people.

He added that elections are conducted at the huge expense of public money, and if there is any scope, these should be saved for the benefit of the people.

“With the saving of money by implementing ONOE, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would launch many more schemes for the development and welfare of the people," he claimed.

Deb said that after the ONOE, both the Central and the state governments would be able to focus on long-term plans, progress, and the youth would get better opportunities.

“The ONOE would reduce political hostility and uphold governance based on performance. It would be a milestone in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India by 2047," he said.

As part of the BJP’s nationwide campaign, Deb addressed a series of conventions on ONOE on Monday and Tuesday in the West Tripura district.

The 39-member (27 members from Lok Sabha and 12 members from the Rajya Sabha) Joint Committee of the Parliament, headed by BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary, is now studying the ONOE Bill and seeking opinions from the people and various stakeholders.