New Delhi: The Law Commission is is likely to recommend adding a new chapter to the constitution on ‘one nation, one election’ to aid simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies by 2029, Deccan Herald has reported.
The suggested amendment to the Constitution would introduce a new chapter covering issues related to simultaneous elections, their sustainability, and the creation of a common electoral roll. This chapter, if adopted, would hold the authority to override other constitutional provisions concerning the terms of legislative assemblies.
The commission, led by Justice (retd) Ritu Raj Awasthi, is also likely to recommend synchronization of polls in three phases over the five-year period.
The commission will recommend that the first phase may deal with state assemblies whose period will have to be curtailed by a few months – three or six months, the Deccan Herald reported.
In the event of a government collapse due to a vote of no confidence or a hung House, the Law Commission proposes the formation of a “unity government” comprising representatives from various political parties. If this approach proves ineffective, the recommendation is to conduct fresh elections for the remaining term of the House.
Also read: One Nation, One Election, One Leader, One Faith, One Business House
“Suppose fresh elections are called for and the government still has three years, then polls should be for the remainder of the term – three years – to ensure sustainability,” a source was quoted by the paper as saying.
Simultaneously, a high-level committee, under the guidance of former President Ram Nath Kovind, is also working on a report exploring the feasibility of simultaneous polls, the report said.
While the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are expected to take place in April-May, state polls for Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand are expected later this year. These will be followed by elections in Bihar and Delhi next year.
For Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala, elections are due in 2026 while Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur are set to go to polls in 2027. As many as nine states – Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Karnataka, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana – may have assembly polls scheduled for 2028, the report said.
