News Brief
"Simultaneous Polls, Common Electoral Roll, And Unity Government": Here's What The Law Commission Proposed In It's Report
One nation, one election.
The Law Commission of India, under the chairmanship of former Karnataka High Court chief justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, has formulated three significant constitutional amendments to pave the way for the implementation of the 'One Nation, One Election' by 2029.
As reported by The Indian Express, these amendments include provisions for simultaneous polls, a common electoral roll, and the formation of a unity government in case of a premature government dissolution.
The commission is expected to recommend the addition of a new chapter on simultaneous elections, labeled Part XVA, to the Constitution.
This chapter would outline the procedures and regulations for conducting simultaneous polls at the national, state, municipal, and panchayat levels.
Additionally, the commission's proposal involves synchronising assembly elections in stages over the next five years to culminate in simultaneous polls with the Lok Sabha elections in 2029.
Another key aspect addressed by the proposed amendments is the sustainability of simultaneous polls, particularly in situations of hung assemblies or mid-term government collapses.
To tackle this, the commission suggests the establishment of an all-party "unity" government as a first resort, followed by holding elections only for the remaining term if forming such a government is unfeasible.
Furthermore, the commission recommends for a common voter list to be used across all levels of elections, replacing the current practice where separate lists are maintained for different types of elections.
While the law panel has not submitted its report to the government, it has made detailed presentations of its likely recommendations before the high-level committee, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, to “examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections” to Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats.
