‘One Nation One Election’ report submitted to President
A high-level committee, led by former president Ram Nath Kovind, has proposed a “fundamental transformation” in the electoral process and governance through simultaneous elections, as outlined in its extensive report spanning over 18,000 pages on the concept of ‘One Nation One Election’.
This committee, helmed by ex-president Kovind, has suggested amending at least five articles of the Constitution to facilitate the implementation of simultaneous polls across various tiers of government in India.
Established in September 2023, the Kovind-led high-level committee on ‘one nation, one election’ was tasked with evaluating and providing recommendations for conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats. Since its inception on September 2, 2023, the committee has engaged in consultations with stakeholders, consulted experts and conducted extensive research.
Key suggestions of the committee are:
- Implementation of simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies initially, followed by local body elections within 100 days as a subsequent step.
- Proposals for addressing scenarios of a hung House or no-confidence motions, suggesting the possibility of conducting fresh polls for the remainder of the five-year term.
- Proposal to align the tenure of state assemblies with subsequent Lok Sabha elections for the first round of simultaneous polls.
- Recommendation for the Election Commission to collaborate with state election authorities in preparing a unified electoral roll and issuing voter ID cards for Lok Sabha, assembly and local body elections.
- Advocacy for bolstering resources such as equipment, manpower and security forces to facilitate the conduct of simultaneous elections.
- Affirmation that synchronised elections across all levels of government would enhance the architecture of governance.
- Assertion that simultaneous elections would catalyse the development process and foster social cohesion, strengthening the foundations of democracy.
- Emphasis on how the ‘one nation, one election’ initiative would augment transparency, inclusivity and voter confidence, ultimately enhancing the ease of the electoral process.
