Jairam Ramesh: Elections should be shorter for Digital India

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Assam, expressed his concerns over the duration of elections in India, highlighting the need for shorter election periods in line with Digital India initiatives.

Ramesh pointed out that while elections in 2004 were conducted within 20 days, the current elections are spanning around 42 days, raising questions about the Election Commission's decision-making process and the government's vision for efficient electoral processes.

"With Digital India, the time of holding elections should be less. In 2004, elections were held in 20 days but here, around elections are taking around 42 days' time. I don't know what idea the Election Commission and PM had in their minds," Ramesh stated, emphasizing the importance of leveraging digital technologies for streamlined governance.

Turning to alliance politics in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Ramesh shed light on the Congress's collaboration with 28 other parties under the INDIA alliance banner. While seat-sharing arrangements have been successful with some parties, disagreements persisted with others, leading to contesting against alliance members in certain states.

"In the 2024 (Lok Sabha) polls, the Congress is fighting in alliance with 28 other parties, which are there in the INDIA alliance. We have seat-sharing arrangement with some parties, but with others, we could not agree upon a seat-sharing pact," Ramesh explained.

He specifically mentioned the Trinamool Congress (TMC) as part of the INDIA alliance but clarified that the Congress is contesting against them in states like West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, and others. Despite this, Mamata Banerjee has affirmed that the TMC remains a vital component of the INDIA alliance.