On September 23 the ‘One Nation One Election’ committee had its first meeting. President Ram Nath Kovind

On September 23, the ‘One Nation, One Election’ committee had its first meeting. President Ram Nath Kovind

The ‘One Nation, One Election’ group will investigate and propose potential situations for simultaneous elections, as well as a framework.

Former President Ram Nath Kovind stated on Saturday that the first meeting of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ committee, which would investigate and provide recommendations for conducting simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state legislatures, municipalities, and panchayats, will be conducted on September 23. This followed the Centre’s notification on September 2 of an eight-member committee, led by Kovind, to offer suggestions while keeping in mind the current structure under the Indian Constitution and other legislative requirements.

“The first meeting will be on September 23,” Kovind told the reporters while in Bhubaneswar for a private university commencement.

The committee will examine and propose various circumstances for simultaneous elections, such as a hung parliament or the passage of a no-confidence resolution, as well as a structure and time period for holding the elections.

Union home minister Amit Shah, Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former opposition Rajya Sabha leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, former chairman of the 15th Finance Commission NK Singh, former Lok Sabha general secretary Subash Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve, former chief vigilance commissioner Sanjay Kothari, and Minister of State (law) Arjun Ram Meghwal will attend the meetings as a special invitee

Chowdhury, on the other hand, rejected to participate in the ‘One Nation One Election’ panel.

What is the concept of ‘One Nation, One Election’?
The ‘One Nation, One Election’ concept gained traction when the federal government scheduled a special session of Parliament from September 18 to 22 for no apparent reason.

Until 1967, the nation had simultaneous elections for state legislatures and the Lok Sabha. However, various legislative assemblies were abolished in 1968 and 1969, and the Lok Sabha was dissolved in 1970, resulting in a shift in the election calendar.

Since becoming Prime Minister, Modi has advocated for simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. In 2017, then-President Ram Nath Kovind expressed his support for the notion. In his 2018 speech to Parliament, Kovind said, “Frequent elections not only impose a huge burden on human resources, but also impede the development process due to the promulgation of the model code of conduct.”