The newly formed committee, tasked with examining the feasibility of holding parliamentary and state assembly elections simultaneously in India, will review and recommend specific amendments to the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, and any other relevant rules.
The nine-member committee, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, will also assess whether the proposed constitutional amendments require ratification by the states, as indicated in the government's gazette notification today. The notification further states that the committee will commence its work immediately and provide a report as soon as possible.
The committee's members include Home Minister Amit Shah, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, former 15th Finance Commission chairman NK Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary-General Subhash C. Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve, and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.
The committee will assess the practicality of simultaneously conducting elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies, along with elections for municipalities and panchayats, as stated in the gazette notification.
The committee will analyse and propose potential solutions related to simultaneous elections in case of a hung parliament, no-confidence motion, defection, or any similar events. A single electoral roll and identity card for voters valid for the national, state, civic body and panchayat elections will be explored, the government said in the notification.
WHAT IS 'ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION'?
The idea of 'One Nation, One Election' refers to holding simultaneous elections across the country. This means that elections for the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies across India will be held simultaneously, with voting presumably taking place around the same time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong proponent of the 'One Nation One Election' since coming to power in 2014, citing the financial burden caused by the continuous election cycle and an obstacle to development work during polls.