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First meeting of committee on ‘One Nation, One Election’ on 23 September: Ram Nath Kovind

This meeting will be held after the special Parliamentary session, which is to be convened from 18 to 22 September.

Published Sep 16, 2023 | 4:12 PM ⚊UpdatedSep 16, 2023 | 4:12 PM

Former president of India, Ram Nath Kovind is leading the committee on simultaneous polls. (X)

Former president of India Ram Nath Kovind, speaking to reporters in Bhubaneshwar, on Saturday, 16 September, announced that the the high-level committee to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous polls in the country will be held on 23 September.

This meeting will be held after the special Parliament session, which is to be convened from Monday, 18 September to 22 September.

The government, on Wednesday, 13 September, listed a special discussion on the Parliament’s journey of 75 years, starting from the Samvidhan Sabha, on the first day of the five-day Parliamentary session.

During the session, the government has also listed the Bill on the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners to be taken up for consideration and passage. The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha during the last Monsoon session.

The government, on 2 September, notified the eight-member committee to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies, municipalities, and panchayats.

Also Read: Centre announces special session of Parliament from 18-22 September

Committee members

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, prominent jurist Harish Salve, former chief vigilance commissioner Sanjay Kothari, former Finance Commission chairman NK Singh, and former secretary-general of the Lok Sabha Subhash C Kashyap have been named as members of the “One Nation, One Election” committee.

Chowdhury, however, in a strongly worded letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, said that he would not be part of the committee.

According to reports, on 6 September, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal met Ram Nath Kovind to discuss the simultaneous polls.

While Shah is a member, Meghwal is a special invitee of the committee to study the proposal of “One Nation One Election”.

Also Read: Ram Nath Kovind to lead panel on ‘One Nation, One Election’ plan

One Nation One Election

Incidentally, this is not the first time that a committee has been asked to look into the possibility of “One Nation, One Election”, a move that the BJP has been strongly advocating.

The Law Commission of India’s 170th report on the Reform of Electoral Laws in 1999, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law & Justice’s 79th report in December 2015, NITI Aayog’s Analysis of Simultaneous Elections in November 2017, and Law Commission of India’s Draft report on “One Nation’ One Election” in August 2018 dealt with the topic of holding simultaneous elections to Parliament and state Assemblies.

Opposition slams the move

Leaders of the Opposition bloc, INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance), slammed the idea during their meeting in Mumbai on 1 September.

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the BJP’s diversionary and distractionary tactics cannot betray the people anymore.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut called the Union government’s move a “conspiracy to postpone polls” to five state Assemblies — Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana — this year-end.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu ruling DMK opposed the proposal to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

After the Centre constituted the panel to explore the feasibility of “One Nation, One Election”, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said, on X, “One nation, one election is against the interests of the country.”