Under “One Nation, One Election”, if there is a hung parliament, parliament will hold a new poll

The panel recommended that fresh polls should be held in the event of a hung parliament or hung parliament

New Delhi:

The high-level committee on ‘One Nation, One Election’, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, suggested in its report that a fresh session may be held in the event of a hung or hung Parliament, or a no-confidence motion in the new House. election. Five years remain on the term.

If a new Lok Sabha election is held, the term of the Lok Sabha shall be limited to the unexpired term of the previous full term of the Lok Sabha and the expiry of such period shall be deemed to be the dissolution of the members of the House on the recommendation of the Committee.

The high-level committee panel also recommended that the elections to town and panchayats should be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. The first step could be to hold Lok Sabha and Assembly polls simultaneously and the second step would be to conduct local body polls within 100 days. This requires approval by no less than half of the countries.

After comprehensive deliberations, the Commission concluded that its recommendations would significantly improve transparency, inclusivity, ease and confidence for voters.

The committee said overwhelming support for holding simultaneous elections would stimulate development processes and social cohesion, deepen the foundations of our democratic rules and realize India’s aspirations for Bharat.

The committee headed by former President Covid visited President Drupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan earlier today and submitted its report on One Nation One Election.

The 18,626-page report is the result of 191 days of extensive consultations with stakeholders and experts and research work since its formulation on September 2, 2023.

Other members of the committee include Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, former Leader of Opposition in the Union House Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission NK Singh, former Secretary General Subhash · Kashyap, Lok Sabha, senior advocate Harish Salve and former chief vigilance commissioner Sanjay Kothari. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal was the special invitee and Dr Niten Chandra was the secretary of the high-level panel.

The Committee conducted extensive consultations to understand the views of different stakeholders. 47 political parties put forward opinions and suggestions, of which 32 supported holding simultaneous elections. Many political parties held extensive discussions with the high-level committee on the matter.

In response to notices published in newspapers across all states and union territories, we received 21,558 responses from citizens across India. 80% of respondents support holding simultaneous elections.

The committee invited legal experts such as 4 former Chief Justices of India, 12 former Chief Justices of major high courts, 4 former Chief Election Commissioners of India, 8 State Election Commissioners, Chairman of the Law Commission of India, etc. to interact in person. The opinion of the Election Commission of India was also sought.

Top business organizations such as FICCI, FICCI, Associations and renowned economists were also consulted to express their views on the economic impact of asynchronous elections.

They argue for the economic necessity of holding simultaneous elections because asynchronous elections can increase inflation and slow economic growth.

The agencies informed the committee that in addition to undermining social harmony, intermittent elections adversely affect economic growth, the quality of public spending, and educational and other outcomes.

The central government set up a high-level committee in September last year to study the “one country, one election” issue and make recommendations on holding simultaneous elections in the country.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)