Single Electoral Roll, Constitutional Amendments And More: Here Are The Recommendations Of 'One Nation One Election' Panel

The panel on simultaneous elections has submitted its report on 'One Nation, One Election' to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday (14 March).

The 321-page report noted that the loss of simultaneity in elections after the first two decades of India’s independence has had a baneful effect on the economy, polity and society.

"Initially, two elections were held every ten years. Now, several elections are being held every year. This casts a huge burden on the Government, businesses, workers, Courts, political parties, candidates contesting elections, and civil society at large," it said.

"The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government must develop a legally tenable mechanism in order to restore the cycle of simultaneous elections," it added.

The panel recommended that in the first step, simultaneous elections to the House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies be held.

In the second step, the elections to Municipalities and Panchayats should be synchronised with the House of the People 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 House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies, it suggested.

"For the purpose of synchronisation of elections to the House of the People and State Legislative Assemblies, the Committee recommends that the President of India may, by notification, issued on the date of the first sitting of the House of the People after a General election, bring into force the provision of this Article, and that date of the notification shall be called the Appointed date," the report said.

The tenure of all State Legislative Assemblies, constituted by elections to the State Legislative Assemblies after the Appointed date and before the expiry of the full term of the House of the People, shall be only for the period ending up to the subsequent General elections to the House of the People, it suggested.

Thereafter, all General elections to the House of the People and all State Legislative Assemblies shall be held together simultaneously.

The Committee also recommended that an Implementation Group may be constituted which shall look into the execution of the recommendations given by the panel.

"The Committee also recommends introduction of Article 324A in the Constitution for enabling simultaneous elections in Panchayats and Municipalities with the General elections of the House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies and amendment in Article 325 for enabling Single Electoral Roll and Single Elector’s Photo Identity Card, which shall be prepared by the Election Commission of India in consultation with the State Election Commission(s) and the same will substitute any other electoral roll prepared by Election Commission of India under Article 325 or State Election Commission(s) under Articles 243K and 243ZA of the Constitution of India," the report said.

Since these amendments touch upon State subjects (Entry 5) of Schedule VII, Part IX, and Part IX A of the Constitution of India, ratification by the States will be required under Article 368(2) of the Constitution of India.

However, implementing simultaneous elections to House of the People and State Legislative Assemblies, does not necessitate ratification by the States.

In the event of a hung House, no-confidence motion, or any such event, the Committee recommended that fresh elections may be held to constitute the new House.

"Where fresh elections are held for the House of the People, the tenure of the House of the People will be only for the unexpired term of the immediately preceding full term of the House of the People and the expiration of this period shall operate as a dissolution of the House," it said.

"Where fresh elections are held for the State Legislative Assemblies, then such new Legislative Assembly unless sooner dissolved, shall continue upto the end of the full term of the House of the People," the report said.

The Committee noted that a Constitution Amendment Bill will have to be introduced in the 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, it said.

The Committee recommended that for making logistical arrangements for the conduct of simultaneous elections to the House of the People and State Legislative Assemblies, the Election Commission of India may draw a plan and estimate in advance for the procurement of equipment, such as EVMs and VVPATs, deployment of polling personnel and security forces, and make other necessary arrangements.

Similarly, for the elections to Municipalities and Panchayats, State Election Commission(s), in consultation with the Election Commission of India, may draw a plan and estimate in advance for the procurement of equipment, such as EVMs and VVPATs, deployment of polling personnel and security forces, and make other necessary arrangements.

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