Holding the Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body elections simultaneously could save nearly as much $Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP BB Chaudhary said the Rs 7,000 crore will improve governance efficiency and add up to 1.6 percentage points to India’s GDP growth.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi formed an eight-member high-level committee under former President Ram Nath Kovind to study the idea before referring it to the joint parliamentary committee, said Chaudhary, who is the chairman of the 39-member joint parliamentary committee examining the “One Nation One” election proposal.
The Kovind Committee spent about 186 days preparing its report.
The committee’s recommendations suggest synchronizing the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the first phase, followed by panchayat and municipal elections within 100 days of the general elections.
The Joint Election Committee (JEC) was formally constituted to study the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, comprising 27 MPs of the Lok Sabha and 12 MPs of the Rajya Sabha along with the President.
The “One Nation” election proposal has faced sharp opposition from many parties, which see it as undermining federalism and the independence of state legislatures.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the logistical challenges, specifically raising concerns about the availability of electronic voting machines for simultaneous elections across the country.
Although former Chief Justice of India YU Lalit acknowledged the theoretical merits of the concept, he warned of serious practical and constitutional hurdles and advised against rushing reform.
The JPC is currently on a three-day visit to Gujarat for consultations with state officials, having held discussions with Chief Secretary M K Das and Director General of Police Dr KL N Rao at Gift City Club in Gandhinagar. Chaudhary made the remarks at a press conference in Gandhinagar on Wednesday evening.
