Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Wednesday reiterated that the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in the state would be held on time and therefore, next session of the Vidhan Sabha would be held in August 2019.

Speaking during the concluding day of budget session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha, the Chief Minister thanked all members of Haryana Vidhan Sabha for taking up various issues related to their respective constituencies during the eight-day long budget session which commenced on February 20.

He said that it was the fifth budget session of present State Government in which eight sittings were held.

Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu presented the Budget, fifth in a row, on which discussion was also held in the House. Total 30 hours discussion was held during the eight sittings of the budget session, he added.

Soon after, Congress legislator Karan Dalal said, “There is a general view among people of the state that this is the last session of the present State Assembly.”

Another Congress legislator, Raghubir Singh Kadian, on the other hand, demanded that the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections should be held together to save money.

He also demanded that the elections should be held by the use of ballot paper and not Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Responding to him, the Chief Minister said, “An atmosphere has developed in the country that Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha Elections should be held simultaneously but it is the Parliament and the Central Government which has to take final call on it.”

On the demand that instead of EVMs, ballot paper should be used in the elections, Manohar Lal said that this issue is raised again and again by the opposition. Taking a dig at the Congress, he said EVM is now like ‘Ek Veham Mera’ for them and it would stay like this always.