Ram Nath Kovind-led committee proposed a different enabling structure to make simultaneous elections feasible......
Digital desk: The committee on "One Nation One Election", led by former president Ram Nath Kovind, submitted its report to the president on Thursday. The report is based on a recommendation for electoral simultaneity by saying that bunching the contest will save the economy and society from disruptions as a result of holding frequent elections.
The High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections met President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted its report comprising 18,626 pages, and is an outcome of consultations with stakeholders, experts, and research work of 191 days, since its constitution on September 2, 2023.
The report was submitted by the committee with the presence of all its members, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Nabi Azad, and others.
Ram Nath Kovind-led committee proposed a different enabling structure to make simultaneous elections feasible after looking into the constitutional and legal concerns surrounding them.
There will be less disruption to governance and policy paralysis as a result of the Model Code of Conduct's implementation and negative effects on economic growth.
The committee recommended holding simultaneous elections for the State Assembly and Lok Sabha as a first step. Next, the municipal and panchayat polls will be timed to coincide with the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections, which are scheduled to take place within a hundred days of each other.
In the case of a hung House, or no-confidence motion, fresh elections can be held for the remainder of the five-year tenure.
In order to protect voters' rights, the committee acknowledged the importance of the single electoral roll and single elector's photo identity card (EPIC), or voter card, for elections to the three levels of the Indian government: the Lok Sabha at the federal level, the Legislative Assembly at the state level, and the municipal and panchayat levels at the local level.
Recently, the High-Level Committee also convened to engage with representatives from various political parties such as BJP, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPI (M), RPI, and Apna dal among others. These party representatives submitted their suggestions in writing to the committee.
Additionally, the committee recently invited public opinion on the matter of 'One Nation, One Election.' A public notice was issued, stating, "Notice for inviting suggestions from members of the general public for making appropriate changes in the existing legal administrative framework to enable simultaneous elections in the country."
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