New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the “one nation, one election” proposal, which advocates simultaneous elections in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, as it accepted a report submitted by a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind.
The Kovind panel had submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu on 15 March, recommending simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies as a first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
Announcing the decision, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Wednesday: “Simultaneous elections took place from 1951 to 1967. In 1999, the Law Commission recommended one election to Lok Sabha and all legislative assemblies… so that development continues, expenses are minimised, and law and order is not hampered because forces are pressed into poll duty.”
“Today’s youth, and today’s Bharat” aspired for speedy development, which should not be interrupted by multiple election processes, he said. “We received suggestions from different forums of the country on this.”
#WATCH | Union Cabinet has accepted the recommendations by the high-level committee on ‘One Nation, One Election’, announces Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
(Video source: PIB/ YouTube) pic.twitter.com/NnE99wNDer
— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2024
The bill for “one nation, one election” is likely to be introduced in Parliament during the upcoming winter session.
Common electoral roll, 18 Constitutional amendments: Kovind panel
The Kovind panel, set up in September last year, had proposed setting up an “implementation group” to look into the execution of its recommendations.
Simultaneous polls will help save resources, spur development and social cohesion, deepen “foundations of democratic rubric” and help realise the aspirations of “India, that is Bharat”, the panel had said.
It also recommended a common electoral roll and voter ID cards be prepared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in consultation with state election authorities.
At present, the ECI is responsible for Lok Sabha and assembly polls, while local body polls for municipalities and panchayats are managed by state election commissions.
The panel recommended as many as 18 Constitutional amendments, most of which would not need ratification by state assemblies. However, these would require certain Constitution amendment bills to be passed by Parliament.
Some proposed changes regarding the single electoral roll and single voter ID card would need ratification by at least half of the states.
Separately, the Law Commission is also likely to come up with its own report on simultaneous polls, which has been strongly advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sources said the Law Commission is likely to recommend holding simultaneous polls for all three tiers of government—Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies like municipalities and panchayats—starting with the year 2029 and a provision for a “unity government” in the possibility of a hung house or a no-confidence motion.
Meanwhile, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said Wednesday that the proposal about simultaneous elections was “not practical”. “They (Modi government) raise such issues to divert attention when elections come,” Kharge told reporters.
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