New Delhi, Delhi, India

The BJP has for some time now been mooting the idea of simultaneous polls. That is, the holding of both general and state assembly elections as the same time. 

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The BJP's contention is that the country is otherwise always in election mode and that there is no time left for governance. (There have been instances of states being under the ambit of the Election Commission's model code of conduct for over half a year, meaning that the government can do no work in that time.) 

wionews reported recently that the BJP was planning on holding simultaneous polls next year. And that it would do so by pushing some state elections forward, and postponing others. 

On Thursday, Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said that was not going to happen. 

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"Koi chance nahi" (No chance at all), Rawat said in Aurangabad after he was asked if it was feasible to hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections.

Rawat added that simultaneous polls could not be held without a "legal framework" in place.

The Lok Sabha elections are due in April-May next year while Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram are scheduled to be held later this year. 

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(With inputs from PTI)