New Delhi: The push for ‘One Nation, One Poll’ received a significant boost as the panel led by Ram Nath Kovind submitted a report on simultaneous elections to President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. The panel suggested that simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and assemblies could be conducted initially, followed by local body elections within 100 days as a subsequent step.
Comprising 18,626 pages, the report is the result of extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts, and research conducted over 191 days since its formation on September 2, 2023.
The committee presented the report in the presence of all its members, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chief Gulam Nabi Azad, among others.
The high-level committee also engaged with representatives from various political parties, including BJP, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPI(M), AIMIM, RPI, Apna Dal, who submitted their suggestions in writing.
Under the chairmanship of former President of India Ram Nath Kovind, the panel initiated a consultation process regarding the issue of simultaneous elections in the country. Recently, it also sought public opinion on the ‘one nation, one election’ matter.
A public notice was issued inviting suggestions from the general public to make appropriate changes in the existing legal and administrative framework to enable simultaneous elections nationwide. Last September, the central government formed a high-level committee to examine the ‘One Nation, One Election’ issue and propose recommendations.
The central idea behind ‘One Nation One Election’ is to synchronize the timing of Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections across all states, aiming to reduce the frequency of polls throughout the country. This concept was practiced until 1967 but was disrupted due to various reasons such as defections, dismissals, and dissolutions of governments.