One nation, one election bill to be tabled in Winter Session; Cabinet approves Kovind panel report

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has approved the report of the high-level committee on 'one nation, one election', Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. The panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind had submitted the report in March ahead of the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. The bill is likely to be tabled in the Parliament's Winter Session. If passed, India will face assembly polls and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously in 2029. Placing the report before the Cabinet was a part of the law ministry's 100-day agenda.

The high-level committee recommended simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assembly as the first step, followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days. The panel had also proposed setting up of an 'Implementation Group' to look into the execution of the recommendations made by the committee.

Simultaneous polls will help save resources, spur development and social cohesion, deepen "foundations of democratic rubric" and help realise the aspirations of "India, that is Bharat", the panel had said.

The panel also recommended the preparation of a common electoral roll and voter ID cards by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in consultation with state election authorities.

At present, the ECI is responsible for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, while the local body polls for municipalities and panchayats are managed by state election commissions.

The panel recommended as many as 18 constitutional amendments, most of which will not need ratification by state Assemblies. However, these would require certain Constitution amendment Bills that would need to be passed by Parliament.

Some proposed changes regarding the single electoral roll and single voter ID card would need ratification by at least half of the states.

Separately, the Law Commission is also likely to come up soon with its own report on simultaneous polls, of which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong votary.

Sources said that the Law Commission is likely to recommend holding simultaneous polls for all three tiers of the government -- the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies and local bodies like municipalities and panchayats -- starting with 2029 and a provision for unity government in cases like hung house.
(With PTI inputs.)