North News
New Delhi, September 18
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has accepted the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, led by former President Ram Nath Kovind. The Bill likely to be introduced in Parliament during the upcoming winter session.
The move aims to streamline the electoral process across the country. The Kovind-led committee consulted a wide range of stakeholders, including political parties and experts. Its report, reflecting extensive feedback, indicates broad support for the idea of simultaneous elections. The full report is available online. Key recommendations include implementing simultaneous elections in two phases. In the first phase, both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections would be conducted together. In the second phase, local body elections, including panchayats and municipalities, would be held within 100 days of the general elections. A common electoral roll for all elections was also proposed.
To move forward, the government plans to initiate nationwide discussions on the matter and will form an implementation group to oversee the process.
Historically, simultaneous elections were held between 1951 and 1967. The Law Commission’s 170th report in 1999 also proposed holding a single election for the Lok Sabha and all Legislative Assemblies every five years. Similarly, the 79th Parliamentary Committee report in 2015 recommended methods for implementing simultaneous elections in two phases.
