Former President Ram Nath Kovind led high-level 'One Nation, One Election' poll panel on Thursday recommended simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
The 18,000-page report submitted to President Droupadi Murmu by Kovind and committee members said simultaneous polls will spur development and social cohesion, deepen "foundations of democratic rubric" and help realise the aspirations of "India that is Bharat".
Kovind was accompanied by other panel members, including Home Minister Amit Shah, former Finance Commission chairman NK Singh, former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash Kashyap, former leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, when he went to submit the report to the president at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Shah termed the recommendation of the committee as "a historic day" for the country's democratic system. The report is an outcome of extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts and research work of 191 days, since its constitution on September 2, 2023, a statement said.
The committee recommended that fresh elections could be held to constitute a new Lok Sabha in the event of a hung House or a no-confidence motion, or any such event.
Of the total of 62 parties approached by the poll panel 47 responded out of which 32 favoured holding elections simultaneously while 15 against it and 15 did not submit a response. Among the national parties, the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, BSP and the CPIM opposed the proposal, while the BJP and National People's Party supported it.
The BSP highlighted concerns regarding the large territorial extent and population of the country, which could make implementation challenging, on the other hand its rival in Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party said if simultaneous elections are implemented, State-level parties will not be able to compete with national parties in electoral strategy and expenditure leading to increased discord between these two sets of parties.
Among State parties, AIUDF, Trinamool Congress, AIMIM, CPI, DMK, Naga People's Front, and Samajwadi Party opposed the proposal to hold simultaneous elections.
The AIADMK, All Jharkhand Students Union, Apna Dal (Soney Lal), ASOM Gana Parishad, Biju Janata Dal, Lok Janshakti Party (R), Mizo National Front, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (United), Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, Shiromani Akali Dal, and United People's Party Liberal supported the proposal.
Others including Bharat Rashtra Samiti, Indian Union Muslim League, Jammu And Kashmir National Conference, Janata Dal (Secular), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Kerala Congress (M), Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Sikkim Democratic Front, Telugu Desam Party, and YSR Congress Party did not respond.
Among other parties, CPI(ML) Liberation, Social Democratic Party of India opposed it, while Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal, Bharatiya Samaj Party, Gorakha National Liberal Front, Hindustani Aavam Morcha, Rashtriya Lok Jan Shakti Party, Rashtrawadi Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) were among those who opposed.
The panel studied election processes in six countries including South Africa, Sweden and Belgium, before recommending simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and State Assemblies in India. The other countries where simultaneous elections are conducted are Germany, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Belgium.
Where fresh elections are held for the House of the People (Lok Sabha), the tenure of the House will be "only for the unexpired (remaining) term of the immediately preceding full term of the House", said the Kovind panel report to Murmu.
When fresh elections are held for State legislative Assemblies, then such new Assemblies -- unless sooner dissolved -- shall continue up to the end of the full term of the Lok Sabha. To bring into force such a mechanism, Article 83 (duration of Houses of Parliament) and Article 172 (duration of state legislatures) need to be amended, the committee said. "This Constitutional amendment will not need ratification by the States," the committee said.
The panel also recommended preparation of a common electoral roll and voter ID cards by the Election Commission of India in consultation with State election authorities. It said Article 325 dealing with voters' list may be suitably amended for the purpose.
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 several constitutional amendments, most of which will not need ratification by States.
"Now, several elections are being held every year. This casts a huge burden on the Government, businesses, workers, courts, political parties, candidates contesting elections, and civil society at large," the panel said. It said the Government must develop a "legally tenable mechanism" to restore the cycle of simultaneous elections.
Three former High Court Chief Justices and one former State Election Commissioner were among those who objected to the idea of 'one nation, one election' during the consultations. According to the report, all four former Supreme Court Chief Justices -- Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justice UU Lalit -- the panel consulted provided written responses, all of which were in favour of holding simultaneous elections.
