Panel headed by Ram Nath Kovind gives green signal for One Nation One Election

A High Level Committee headed by former President of India Ram Nath Kovind has batted for the idea of 'One Nation One Election', a proposal mooted by the Central government as per which elections to the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies will be held simultaneously. .The panel in its report said that there is overwhelming support for holding simultaneous elections and that it will aid development and deepen democratic roots in the country."It will aid development process and social cohesion, deepen the foundations of our democratic rubric, and realise the aspirations of India, that is Bharat," the report said.While some of the Constitutional amendments needed to bring in one nation one election would require State's ratification, certain amendments can be done by the parliament without the States' concurrence, the report said.The other members of the Committee were Senior Advocate Harish Salve, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress Leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission NK Singh, Former Lok Sabha Secretary General Dr Subhash C Kashyap and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (independent charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal was the special invitee, while Union Legal Affairs Department Secretary Niten Chandra was the Secretary of the Committee..To implement the concept of simultaneous elections, the Committee has recommended significant constitutional amendments..The report calls for the introduction of Article 324A to enable simultaneous elections in panchayats and municipalities along with the general elections of the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies.This would require ratification by States. The report has also recommended that a Constitution Amendment Bill be introduced in Parliament amending Article 83 (Duration of Houses of Parliament) and Article 172 (Duration of State Legislatures). "This Constitutional Amendment will not need ratification by the States," the report underlined.Further, it has recommended an amendment to Article 325 for enabling a single electoral roll and single elector’s photo identity card, which the Election Commission of India shall prepare in consultation with state election commissions, and the same will substitute any other electoral roll prepared by the Election Commission of India..As per the report, holding separate elections casts a huge burden on the government, businesses, workers, courts, political parties, candidates contesting elections and civil society at large. "The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government must develop a legally tenable mechanism in order to restore the cycle of simultaneous elections," the report said..Some of the other key recommendations made by the Committee are:- As the first step, simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies be held.- In the second step, the elections to municipalities and panchayats will be synchronized with the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies in such a way that elections to municipalities and panchayats are held within a hundred days of the holding of elections of the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies.- President of India may, by notification, issued on the date of the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election, bring into force the provision of this Article, and that date of the notification shall be called the appointed date.- Tenure of all state legislative assemblies constituted by elections after the appointed date and before the expiry of the full term of the Lok Sabha, shall be only for the period up to the subsequent general elections to the Lok Sabha.- Thereafter, all general elections to the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies shall be held together simultaneously.- The Committee recommends that in the event of a hung house, no-confidence motion, or any such event, fresh elections may be held to constitute the new house..Read the full report here.