The Union Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections under the chairmanship of former President Shri Ram Nath Kovind.
- An implementation group would be formed to take forward the recommendations of the Kovind panel.
- The committee has proposed simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies as the first step, and municipal and panchayat polls within 100 days of the general election in the next phase.
- It recommended a common electoral roll, which would need coordination between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and State Election Commissions (SECs).
- The ECI is responsible for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, while the local body elections for municipalities and panchayats are managed by the SECs.
- Between 1951 and 1967, the country did have simultaneous polls, but the cycle got disturbed due to various reasons, including mid-term elections.
- In the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, Assembly polls were held in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
