Law Commission meets Kovind panel on simultaneous polls

The Law Commission is learnt to have suggested a roadmap that includes changes required in the Constitution for holding simultaneous elections before a high-level committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind.

While the law ministry had asked the law panel to study the feasibility on holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls together, the Kovind panel on 'one nation, one election' has been mandated to examine the possibility of holding Lok Sabha, assembly and panchayat and municipality polls together.

Sources said the report of the law panel on simultaneous polls is not yet finalised. They said "some more things are required to be done", indicating that the law panel will be invited again by the high-level committee.

According to an official statement, the high-level committee "noted" the resignation of Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, leader of the single largest party in the Lok Sabha, from the membership of the committee.

The day the panel was constituted, Chowdhury had declined to be a part of it.

"I have no hesitation whatsoever in declining to serve on the committee whose terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions. It is, I am afraid, a total eyewash," he had said in his letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, a member of the panel.

According to the statement, the Law Commission made a presentation during the meeting elaborating their suggestions and viewpoints on the issue of simultaneous elections in the country.

The panel had invited the Law Commission to seek its views on how simultaneous pollscan 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 statement said letters have been sent to six National parties, 33 State parties and seven registered unrecognised parties inviting their suggestions on One nation One Election.

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.

The committee also approved budgetary provision for itself for current FY 2023-24.

Home Minister Shah, former leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, former chairman of 15th Finance Commission N K Singh, former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash C Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve and Sanjay Kothari, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, attended the meeting.