Need consensus for electoral reforms: Naidu

There is a need to bring in electoral reforms like holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls and taking measures to curb influence of money power, for which a consensus is required, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said on Monday.

"India has frequent election festivals. I call them festival because election becomes a festival, but we have too many festivals," he said.

The entire system then gets devoted to the electoral process because of which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call for holding simultaneous elections for the Centre and the states, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said.

President Pranab Mukherjee has also endorsed it and Election Commission is also favourable to it, Naidu said.

"We need to reform the system... The country has to move in a direction and evolve a consensus," he said, adding the decision had to be taken in the interest of the country rising above party lines.

Another issue is to curb the influence of money power in the elections, Naidu said, adding Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has in the budget made a proposal that all political parties should accept contributions above Rs 2,000 by cheque.