First Meeting Of 'One Nation, One Election' Committee To Be Held On 23 September: Kovind

Former president Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday (16 September) announced that the first meeting of the 'One Nation, One Election' committee to examine and make recommendations for simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities, and panchayats will be conducted on 23 September.

The government had on 2 September set up an eight-member committee, headed by Kovind, to make recommendations keeping in view the existing framework under the Constitution of India and other statutory provisions.

“The first meeting will take place on September 23,” Kovind told the media while he was in Bhubaneswar to attend the convocation of a private university, Hindustan Times reported.

The committee members include Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former leader of the opposition Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former chairman of the 15th Finance Commission N K Singh, former Lok Sabha General Secretary Subash Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

Union Minister of State (Law) Arjun Ram Meghwal will attend the meetings as a special invitee. Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, however, declined to be part of the 'One Nation One Election' panel.