The Ministry of Law & Justice proposal, which has been cleared, is based on the recommendations made in a report of a high panel committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind.Briefing media after the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “The Union Cabinet has accepted the recommendations by the high-level committee on ‘one nation, one election’.”The Kovind-led high-level committee on ‘one nation-one election’ in its report has stated that frequent elections create an atmosphere of uncertainty and impact policy decisions.The report, comprising 18,626 pages, is an outcome of extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts and research work of over 191 days, since the constitution of the panel on September 2, 2023.
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the ‘one nation, one election’ was not practical and alleged that the BJP comes up with such things to divert attention from real issues when elections approach.
“It is not practical. It will not work. When elections come, and they are not getting any issues to raise, then they divert attention from real issues,” Kharge said when asked about the issue at a press conference here.
However, asserting that several political parties are already on board, the government said even those parties that are opposed to it may now feel pressure from within to change their stand due to the widespread support on the issue from the people of the country.
In its report to the government in March, just before the general election was announced, the panel recommended implementing ‘one nation, one election’ in two phases. The first phase would involve simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, while the second phase would conduct elections for local bodies, such as panchayats and municipalities, within 100 days of the general election.
The panel also suggested a common electoral roll, which would require coordination between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and state election commissions. Currently, the ECI oversees Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, while state election commissions manage polls for municipalities and panchayats.
A total of 18 constitutional amendments have been proposed, most of which would not need ratification by state assemblies. However, these changes would require certain constitutional amendment bills to be passed by Parliament. Some proposed reforms, such as the single electoral roll and a single voter ID card, would need approval from at least half of the states.
Separately, the Law Commission is expected to release its own report on simultaneous polls soon, a concept strongly supported by PM Modi. Sources indicate that the commission may recommend holding simultaneous elections for all three levels of government — the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies — starting in 2029, along with a provision for a unity government in situations like a hung house.
The idea of ‘one nation, one election’ was first proposed in the 1980s. The Justice BP Jeevan Reddy-headed Law Commission had in its 170th report in May 1999 said that “we must go back to the situation where the elections to Lok Sabha and all the Legislative Assemblies are held at once”