New Delhi

Setting the ball rolling for ‘One Nation, One Election’, the Indian Law Commission panel has reportedly given its nod to simultaneous elections in the country.

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According to the Indian Express newspaper, the panel will frame tentative timelines for the simultaneous elections of parliament, state legislatures, and local bodies—municipalities and panchayat—for the 2024 and 2029 cycles.

The report by the 22nd Law Commission panel will be submitted to the Law Ministry.

The development comes days after a panel was formed under the chairmanship of former president Ramnath Kovind to “examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections”.

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The panel’s first meeting was held on September 23 which saw the attendance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, former Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Chairman of the Fifteenth Finance Commission N K Singh, former secretary-general of Lok Sabha Subhash C Kashyap and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

Modi's clarion call

The concept of ‘One Nation, One Election’ gained impetus after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a clarion call for synchronised elections.

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While the BJP argues that the simultaneous elections would significantly reduce the cost incurred by the Election Commission, the opposition believes that the move would give an undue advantage to the ruling dispensation and significantly disrupt the Indian electoral process.

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Notably in 2018, the 21st Law Commission headed by Justice BS Chauhan (retired), in a draft report, had also recommended ‘One Nation, One Election’.

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Five states are about to go to polls in November

However, the commission did not proceed further with the proposal given “the complexity of the issues involved,” adding that it was “desirable to have further discussions and examination on the matter, involving all the stakeholders, once again, before making final recommendations to the Government.”

Five states are headed for assembly polls in November or December, followed by the Lok Sabha elections which are likely to be held in May-June 2024.

However, the recent moves by the government have thrown open the possibility of moving forward some state polls, which are scheduled for later this year, to coincide with the Lok Sabha contest.

(With inputs from agencies)

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