NEW DELHI, Oct 25: Law Commission chairperson Justice (retd) Ritu Raj Awasthi on Wednesday gave a detailed presentation on the way forward to hold simultaneous elections in the country before the high-level committee on ‘one nation, one election’ headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind here.
Sources aware of the meeting said the law panel had a long discussion on the roadmap and the changes required in the Constitution to hold simultaneous elections. But some more things are required to be done. They said the law panel is yet to submit its report to the government on simultaneous polls.
The sources also did not rule out the possibility of the Law Commission being called again by the Kovind panel.
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The panel had invited the Law Commission to seek its views on how simultaneous polls can be held in the country.
The committee, which had in its first meeting recently decided to seek views of political parties, has now written to them to elicit their views on holding sustainable simultaneous polls in the country.
In a communication to the parties, it has sought an interaction with them on a “mutually agreed date”, sources said citing the letter.
They said parties have also been given an option to send their views in writing in the next three months.
The Law Commission is working on a formula to synchronise all assembly polls by extending or reducing the tenure so that these elections can be held along with the Lok Sabha polls 2029 onwards.
The law panel is devising a mechanism to ensure a common electoral roll for Lok Sabha, assemblies and local bodies to reduce cost and use of manpower for undertaking an almost identical exercise which is carried out now by the Election Commission and various state election commissions.
For synchronising various assembly polls to ensure both state and Lok Sabha elections are held together from 2029 onwards, the commission may suggest reducing or enhancing the tenure of legislative assemblies.
A mechanism is being devised to ensure that once Lok Sabha and assembly polls are synchronised, voters go to the polling booth only once to cast their ballot for both the elections.
The sources said since assembly and parliamentary polls are held in phases, the commission is working out modalities to see that voters do not go to polling stations more than once to cast their ballots for the two polls.
The commission, they said, is of the view that assembly and parliamentary polls can be held together and it is only working out modalities for the smooth conduct of the gigantic democratic exercise. (PTI)
