Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the ‘one nation, one election’ report will likely be out by the start of March.
“PM Modi has formed a committee which is led by former President Ram Nath Kovind. For the purpose, talks are on with former election commissioners, retired justices, law commission as well as political parties,” Shah said at the ET NOW Global Business Summit 2024.
“I think by the start of March, the report of one, nation, one election should be out,” Shah asserted.
“After this report is out, the Lok Sabha elections will take place, the people of the nation will then decide, whether they want ‘one nation, one election’ or not. PM Modi has said clearly that for the development of the country and for it to run smoothly and for the free expression of the countrymen, there must be simultaneous elections,” Shah said.
On September 2, 2023, the BJP government had constituted a high-level eight-member committee, headed by ex-President Ram Nath Kovind.
Over the last few years, PM Modi has been pushing strongly for the idea of simultaneous elections – Lok Sabha, Assembly elections and local bodies – in the country.
The high-level panel held its fifth meeting on February 2, with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Opposition parties have been opposing the idea of ‘one nation, one poll’, saying that it would be against the Constitution to cut short or extend the term of legislatures, and would lead to a presidential form of government.
Leaders of the Trinamool Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Samajwadi Party on February 6 told the Kovind-led panel that they are opposing it.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, “One Nation One Election runs contrary to the spirit of our Constitution. It is anti-democratic and anti-federalism because what is proposed is to either shorten the term of the state legislatures or to lengthen it. Either of them is anti-democratic. It’s not based on people’s mandate.”
Lok Sabha MPs on the TMC handed over party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s letter sent to the committee last month. and reiterated their party’s objections to the idea.
Banerjee had said One Nation One Election would be against the basic structure of the Constitution.