The Modi government has intensified preparations to give legal form to One Nation-One Election. The cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the report of the committee on One Nation-One Election. A committee was formed under the leadership of former President Ramnath Kovind for this. This committee was formed in September last year. The committee submitted its report to President Draupadi Murmu in March this year. In this report, suggestions were given on how the state assembly and panchayat elections can be conducted along with the Lok Sabha. This report has been approved at a time when recently there were reports that the Modi government is preparing to bring a bill regarding One Nation-One Election in this term.
Kovind Committee Major Recommendations
(1) In the first phase, elections of Lok Sabha and all state assemblies can be conducted simultaneously. In the second phase, elections to municipalities and panchayats will be synchronised with those to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in such a manner that elections to municipalities and panchayats are held within 100 days of the parliamentary and assembly elections. The government should evolve a legally acceptable mechanism to restore the cycle of simultaneous elections. For the purpose of holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, the President shall notify the date of the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election as the “appointed date”.
(2) Where fresh elections to the Lok Sabha are held, the term of the House shall be “only for the unexpired period of the immediately preceding full term of the House”. When fresh elections to state assemblies are held, such new assemblies shall—unless dissolved earlier—continue till the end of the full term of the Lok Sabha.
(3) A single voter list and Voter Photo Identity Card (EPIC) shall be prepared by the Election Commission of India in consultation with the State Election Commission and shall replace any other voter list prepared by the ECI. In order to make logistics arrangements for holding simultaneous elections, the Election Commission of India may make plans and estimates in advance for the procurement of equipment such as EVMs and VVPATs, deployment of polling personnel and security forces and other necessary arrangements.
(4) The term of all State Legislative Assemblies constituted through elections after the ‘appointed date’ and before the expiry of the full term of the Lok Sabha shall be for the period only till the subsequent Parliamentary elections. After this one-time temporary arrangement, all Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections shall be held simultaneously.
Fresh elections may be held to constitute a new Lok Sabha in case of a hung House or a no-confidence motion or any such situation.
