The Congress party rejected the 'One Nation, One Election' idea, calling it an assault on the Constitution and federalism. While addressing a briefing on the deliberations of the first meeting of the reconstituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) here, party leader P Chidambaram said the BJP does not have the numbers to pass the required constitutional amendments for holding simultaneous polls.

"One Nation, One Election is an assault on the Constitution... It is an attack on federalism," he said when asked about the issue. It will require at least five constitutional amendments and the BJP knows that it does not have the numbers to pass these, the senior Congress leader said.

"Yet, if it (BJP) puts forward this mirage of 'One Nation, One Election' it is only to divert attention from the pressing issues and to create a false narrative. We reject this 'One Nation, One Election' idea," Chidambaram said.

Congress party's observation comes days after the government set up an eight-member high-level committee to examine and make recommendations at the earliest on the issue of holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats.

The Congress party rejected the 'One Nation, One Election' idea, calling it an assault on the Constitution and federalism. While addressing a briefing on the deliberations of the first meeting of the reconstituted Congress Working Committee (CWC) here, party leader P Chidambaram said the BJP does not have the numbers to pass the required constitutional amendments for holding simultaneous polls.

"One Nation, One Election is an assault on the Constitution... It is an attack on federalism," he said when asked about the issue. It will require at least five constitutional amendments and the BJP knows that it does not have the numbers to pass these, the senior Congress leader said.

"Yet, if it (BJP) puts forward this mirage of 'One Nation, One Election' it is only to divert attention from the pressing issues and to create a false narrative. We reject this 'One Nation, One Election' idea," Chidambaram said.

Congress party's observation comes days after the government set up an eight-member high-level committee to examine and make recommendations at the earliest on the issue of holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats.