‘One nation, One election’ panel may file its report before LS polls
The panel had written to six national parties and 33 state parties asking for their suggestions on holding simultaneous three-tier elections.
New Delhi: Former president Ram Nath Kovind-led high-level panel, which is looking into the feasibility of holding simultaneous elections in the country, is planning to submit its report, which is in the final stages, to the Union government before the upcoming Lok Sabha polls are announced, people familiar with the matter told HT.
“The report is likely to be submitted anytime in February or March,” one of the members of the panel said, requesting anonymity.
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The major task before the panel — High Level Committee (HLC) on One Nation, One Election — in finalising its report will be to include suggestions from various stakeholders, including the Election Commission (EC), prominent jurists like former judges of constitutional courts, former chief election commissioners, various political parties, citizens and the report of the 22nd Law Commission, the person said.
A consultation process has already been initiated by the HLC, with its chairperson Kovind on Wednesday meeting Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, former chief justice of Madras high court, in Delhi. “On Thursday, Kovind and panel’s secretary Niten Chandra held discussions with Justice Gorla Rohini, the former chief justice of Delhi high court, and Sushil Chandra, the former chief election commissioner of India,” the person said.
The panel, after its second formal meeting in October last year, had written to six national parties and 33 state parties asking for their suggestions on holding simultaneous three-tier elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies.
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The deadline for formal submission of suggestions ended on Thursday.
Several opposition parties such as the Communist Party of India (CPI), CPI(Marxist), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Trinamool Congress (TMC), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Naga People’s Front (NPF) have opposed the proposal in their suggestions to the panel. The Congress, too, has opposed the idea of simultaneous polls.
Though the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have not written to the panel, they have supported the proposal in principle in the past.
To be sure, the BJP’s manifesto for the 2014 general elections had also mentioned proposal to hold simultaneous polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several senior leaders of the ruling BJP have also advocated the idea time and again.
Till January 15, the panel had received over 15,000 responses via emails and another 12,000 via the one nation one election website from public, with around 70% responders backing the idea of simultaneous polls, HT had reported on Tuesday, citing the person quoted above.
The panel has also approached the EC for its suggestions but it is yet to get a response, the person added.
Third meeting of Kovind-led panel on Jan 21
Meanwhile, the HLC is likely to hold its third formal meeting under Kovind on Sunday, people familiar with the matter said. The panel, constituted by the Centre in September last year, had previously met on September 23 and October 25.