‘ONOE’ for country’s overall growth: BJP spokesperson

Vijayawada: In a call for unity and progress, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla emphasised the significance of the ‘One Election, One Nation’ (ONEO) initiative while addressing a Social Media Influencers Meet held at a private hotel in Vijayawada, which was attended by several social media influencers and political figures.

Poonawalla underscored that having a single election for the entire country would not only benefit the overall development of the nation but also serve the interests of political parties. Viewing politics through a focused lens could foster substantial progress, he noted.

He argued that the concept of conducting simultaneous elections is not new, citing that post India’s Independence, elections were held nationwide three times in one go. Several countries, including Sweden, successfully conducted concurrent elections, he said and emphasized the importance of the proposal put forth by the Election Commission of India in 1983 for "One Nation, One Election." He challenged the lack of dissent regarding the call for simultaneous elections and urged all parties to prioritise national development over their political agendas.

Fielding questions from social media influencers on the ongoing Hindi language controversy with the Tamil Nadu government, Poonawalla criticised Chief Minister Stalin by saying that his criticisms were purely political. He argued that Stalin’s name itself references Russia while Tamilians, represented by names like Tamilisai and Annamalai are being dragged into politics by the DMK over Hindi issues.

He faulted Stalin for his objections as DMK leader Karunanidhi had previously supported a committee on the same topic in 2011. He asked the DMK what advantage they gained by now protesting against decisions made by the Congress. Stalin forgot the fact that the ‘Rupee’ symbol was designed by a Tamil Nadu native in 2010, he argued.

BJP state social media in-charge Sanjay, state convenor Adusumilli Keshav Kanth, ONOE state convenor Vetukuru Surya Narayana Raju, co-convenor Nagothu Ramesh Naidu, political analyst Duggaraju Srinivas, BJP state media in-charge Paturi Nagabhushanam, BJP spokesperson Yamini Sharma, and social media co-conveners Satish Kotha, Abhilash Gundepalli, Bharat Kenjol others participated.