New Delhi:

The panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind to examine the issue of holding simultaneous elections in the country has been renamed as the High Level Committee on One Nation, One Election, according to an official statement on Wednesday.

The committee held its second meeting on Wednesday. It has been renamed as the High Level Committee on One Nation, One Election.

The panel has been tasked with examining and making recommendation for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats, keeping in view the existing framework under the Constitution of India and other statutory provisions.

Set up on September 2, it has also been asked to examine and recommend if the relevant amendments to the Constitution would require ratification by the states.

It will analyse and recommend possible solution in a scenario of simultaneous elections emerging out of a hung House, adoption of no-confidence motion, or defection or any such other event.

The panel was also informed that a website – www.onoe.gov.in – has been developed for the One Nation, One Election, which besides being a repository of all relevant information on the subject, shall provide a platform for interaction and receiving suggestions from all stakeholders. The website was launched during the meeting, the statement said. 

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New Delhi:

Former President Ram Nath Kovind today chaired the first meeting of the high-level committee formed to examine the government’s ‘One Nation One Election’ push to hold simultaneous national, state and panchayat elections across the country.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C Kashyap, former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, and other committee members attended the meeting.

Earlier, Mr Shah and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghawal held a meeting with Mr Kovind to decide the agenda for today’s meeting.

Besides national and state elections, the committee will also look into local body elections and make recommendations to the government over the framework and time-limit within which the elections can be held.

The government had notified the eight-member committee on September 2 to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections at all levels.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had earlier declined to be part of the committee saying the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge was excluded from the panel whereas Mr Azad, a former Congress leader, was included.

Until 1967, elections used to be held simultaneously across the country and four elections were held in this manner. The practice stopped with some state assemblies being dissolved prematurely in 1968-69. The Lok Sabha too was dissolved a year ahead of its schedule in 1970 – a first in its history.

Simultaneous elections were part of the BJP’s manifesto for the 2014 elections.

New Delhi:

Taking a big step forward on the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal, the Centre has set up a committee to study the issue and submit a report. The panel will be headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind.

The move comes a day after Centre had announced a special session of the Parliament from September 18 to 22. Ever since the surprise announcement was made, there has been speculation that a bill on ‘one nation, one election’ will be tabled during the session, but no one from the government has confirmed this so far. 

‘One nation, one election’ refers to holding the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls simultaneously across the country. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have spoken on the issue on several occasions, and it was also a part of the party’s manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Conducting polls simultaneously was the norm in India until 1967 and four elections were held this way. The practice stopped after some state assemblies were dissolved prematurely in 1968-69. The Lok Sabha was also, for the first time, dissolved a year ahead of schedule in 1971 and mid-term elections had been called.