NEW DELHI, June 14: The Union Law Ministry plans to place before the Cabinet the report of the high-level committee on ‘one nation, one election’ “at the earliest” as part of the 100-day agenda of the Legislative Department, sources said on Friday.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed all union ministries and departments to draw up a 100-day agenda for the next government.
The high-level committee on ‘one nation, one election’, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu on March 15, recommending simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
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The panel had also proposed setting up an ‘Implementation Group’ to look into the execution of the recommendations made by the committee.
Simultaneous polls will help save resources, spur development and social cohesion, deepen “foundations of the democratic rubric” and help realise the aspirations of “India, that is Bharat”, the panel had said.
It has also recommended the preparation of a common electoral roll and voter ID cards by the Election Commission of India in consultation with state election authorities.
At present, the Election Commission of India is responsible for Lok Sabha and assembly polls, while polls for municipalities and panchayats are managed by state election commissions.
The panel has recommended 18 constitutional amendments, most of which will not need ratification by state assemblies. However, these would require certain constitutional amendment bills that would need to be passed by Parliament.
Some proposed changes regarding the single electoral roll and single voter ID card would need ratification by at least half of the states.
Separately, the Law Commission is also likely to come up soon with its own report on simultaneous polls, of which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong votary.
Sources said the Law Commission is likely to recommend holding simultaneous polls for all three tiers of government — Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies — starting from 2029 and a provision for a unity government in cases like hung house or no-confidence motion. (PTI)
