The High Level Committee on One Nation, One Election headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind has submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu on 14th March 2024.
Key recommendations
- Elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies should be held at the same time and, subsequently, elections to local bodies (municipalities and panchayats) too should be “synchronised” so that they are held within 100 days of the simultaneous state and national elections.
- The committee has suggested 15 amendments to the Constitution of India — in the form of both new provisions and changes to existing provisions — to be carried out through two Constitution Amendment Bills.
First bill
- The first Bill will deal with the transition to a simultaneous election system, and the procedure for fresh elections to Lok Sabha or a state Assembly before the expiration of their stipulated five-year term.
- It proposed to insert a new article— 82A —into the Constitution. This Bill can be passed by Parliament without the requirement for consultation with state governments or ratification by state Assemblies.
- Article 82A will establish the process by which the country will move to a system of simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.
- Article 82A(2) will state that “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”.
- The proposed Bill also recommends amending Article 327, which gives Parliament the power to make laws relating to elections to Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and state legislatures, including the preparation of electoral rolls and delimitation of constituencies.
- If Lok Sabha or a state Assembly is dissolved before the expiry of the full term, the remaining period will be referred to as the “unexpired term”, as per the suggested amendments to Articles 83(3) and 172(3).
- The Lok Sabha or state Assembly that replaces the previous one will serve only for the remaining “unexpired term” before being dissolved again once simultaneous elections are conducted as scheduled.
Second Bill
- The second Bill will deal with municipal and panchayat elections, as well as the creation of a Single Electoral Roll by the Election Commission of India (ECI), with details of every voter and the seat for which they are eligible to vote.
- This Bill deals with subjects on which states have the primary power to enact laws — and it would, therefore, require the approval or ratification of more than half of India’s states before it can be enacted.
- Under Article 368(2), any constitutional amendment that deals with subjects in the State List would have to be ratified by at least half of the state legislatures in the country before it can be passed.
- The second Bill relate to municipal and panchayat elections, which fall under Entry 5 of the State List titled “Local government”, they would require ratification by the states.
- The committee has suggested the inclusion of a new Article 324A in the Constitution. This new article would empower Parliament to make laws to ensure that municipality and panchayat elections are held simultaneously with the General Elections (to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies).
- The new Article 325(2) proposed by the committee will create a “Single Electoral Roll for every territorial constituency for election in the House of the People, Legislature of a State or to a Municipality or a Panchayat”.
