"Multiple Election Create Slowdown In Economy": Sunil Mittal On Simultaneous Polls

Telecom stalwart and Bharti Group Chairman Sunil Mittal on Thursday expressed his strong support for 'One Nation, One Election' as he asserted that frequent elections impact the economy and hinder decisions.

Mr Mittal also noted that the world has started to move "very fast" on cryptocurrency, and pointed out that while India has taken a stance against crypto so far, the time has come for regulations and policies to be framed keeping in mind, the changing global context and technological advances.

"In my opinion, this is a generational shift, we have to embrace it, adopt it, make use of it for advantage on our side, rather than grappling with the issue and trying to avoid it," Mr Mittal said.

Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, Mr Mittal also urged the industry body to engage with political parties to spotlight the economic advantages of 'One Nation, One Election'.

"One area where I would ask CII to get more engaged is...One Nation, One Election," Mr Mittal said.

Mr Mittal admitted it is a "touchy subject" and one that can be termed "outside the boundary of the industry".

"But my own belief is that it is a job that is collectively for all of us here," he said.

Earlier this year, CII presented strong recommendations for India to move towards 'One Nation, One Election'.

"The reason is simple: there are far too many disturbances during elections in terms of economic activities. The code of conduct is ushered in fairly early. Everything stops, government contracts, government payment stops, and a lot of restrictions come on economic activities. Our elections are repeatedly happening every few months, every other year... These multiple elections do create slowdown in our economy," he said.

The telecom czar observed that multiple elections create a slowdown in the economy. He urged CII to form a committee, talk to political parties across the spectrum and showcase the benefits it will yield for the country.

"Hopefully, we may again have contributed importantly to an issue key for our country's growth...," he said.

In doing so, the industry would have done its bit to reaffirm trust and demonstrate that India Inc looks beyond profitability and revenues.

"Eventually, my friends, we really need to get there," he added.

On crypto, Mr Mittal noted it has started to move at a never-seen-before pace over the last few weeks.

"With Trump administration now supporting cryptocurrencies, I think the world has started to move there. India will have to get a handle on it. So far the position was `no'...that crypto will not be allowed, we will try our own digital currency.

"But things are shifting so fast that you will have to form a regulation and policy looking at what is going on in the world, and adopt and see what impact it has on us," Mr Mittal said adding that the technology space is indeed moving very fast.

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