NEW DELHI: The possibility of aligning a significant number of state polls with the next Lok Sabha election is being discussed in government circles with the scenario hinging on advancing national polls, along with a few state elections, in sync with assembly polls due in November-December 2018.The discussion is part of an informal exercise intended to explore how to align Lok Sabha and state polls - over time if not in one go - in keeping with PM Modi's oft-repeated view that staggered assembly elections disrupt governance and are a financial burden. The political permutations, said sources, take into account views of former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash C Kashyap and a group of secretaries.The statutory provision that polls can be held within six months of being due is being examined as it will not require complicated measures such an amendment to the Constitution."In the coming parliamentary polls, the elections to states due within six months or so can be held together as there is a provision that polls can be held within six months if elections are due. This can be done by the Election Commission. It does not require any amendment to Constitution," said constitutional expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash Kashyap.However, generating a wider political consensus will be a challenge. Advancing Lok Sabha election, due in April 2019, can be aligned with polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. Barring Mizoram, BJP is in office in rest of the states.In order to increase the number of states that could go to polls simultaneously, it has been suggested that Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha assemblies could be curtailed by a few months if the incumbent parties agreed to such a proposal.Simultaneous elections have worked for BJD in Odisha. For different reasons, co-terminus polls helped TDP ride a Modi wave in Andhra Pradesh in 2014. An alliance may convince TRS to consider a joint campaign with BJP in Telangana.The PM has referred to the need for simultaneous elections many times, pointing out that such an exercise could call for some sacrifice on part of BJP as well as the opposition and it required more than one party or government to make it happen.The political permutations are speculative and are part of an effort to see if simultaneous polls can be even partly viable by the next LS elections. Though Delhi polls is now de-linked from Chhattisgarh, MP, Rajasthan and Mizoram, stability of the assembly will be tested if 21 AAP MLAs are disqualified over office of profit issues and a mini-election ensues.The process, felt Kashyap, could be gradual as it would not be feasible to convince all states due for polls just after 2019 LS elections to give up a part of their tenure. "If some states are due for polls in one year or so, and if it is your party (same as that at the Centre), the states can seek dissolution of assemblies for holding elections earlier," said Kashyap. If unrolled in the next Lok Sabha poll, most assemblies will be in sync over a period of 10 years.