One nation, one poll: Kovind panel spells out roadmap, challenges
The Ram Nath Kovind Committee constituted to examine the feasibility of ‘one nation, one election’ has detailed the challenges and the road ahead to achieve the objective.
As the first step, the committee said simultaneous elections to the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and state legislative Assemblies should be held, and in the second step, elections to municipalities and panchayats should be held within 100 days of Lok Sabha and state polls.
For the purpose of synchronisation of elections, the committee has said the President would need to notify the date of the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election as the ‘appointed date’.
The tenure of all state Assemblies constituted by elections held after the appointed date and before the expiry of the full term of the Lok Sabha, will be only for the period ending up to the subsequent general elections to the Lok Sabha.
Once that is done, all general elections to the Lok Sabha and states will be held together.
To achieve simultaneous elections, the panel has recommended constitutional amendments, including introduction of Article 324A, to enable simultaneous elections in panchayats and municipalities with the general elections of the Lok Sabha and Assemblies and amendment to Article 325 for enabling Single Electoral Roll and Single Elector’s Photo ID Card to be prepared by the Election Commission of India.
‘Since common electoral roll amendments touch upon State subjects (Entry 5) of the Constitution, ratification by states will be required under Article 368(2) of the Constitution of India. However, implementing step one — simultaneous elections to House of the People (Lok Sabha) and States does not necessitate ratification by the States,’ the panel says.
Hung House scenario
In case of a hung House, or no-confidence motion, fresh poll may be held. ‘Where fresh elections are held for the House of the People, its tenure will be only for the unexpired term, which is left over until the full term of the LS expires. Where fresh elections are held for the state Assemblies, such new Assembly, unless sooner dissolved, will continue up to the end of the full term of the House of the People,” says the panel.
Insertion of new Article
The panel has recommended the insertion of a new Article 82A, which will say: ‘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. Notwithstanding anything contained in Art 83 and 172, all the Legislative Assemblies constituted in any general election held after the appointed date shall come to an end on the expiry of the full term of the House of the People.”
