Ram Nath Kovind: At Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Kovind panel delivered the report—which numbered 18,626 pages—to President Droupadi Murmu.
On Thursday, a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind turned in its report on whether simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local governments—a concept known as one nation, one election—could be held nationwide. According to a release, the panel delivered the 18,626-page report to President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
It further stated that since its constitution on September 2, 2023, the report has been the result of intensive meetings with stakeholders, and specialists, and 191 days of study.
The committee presented the report in the presence of all committee members, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Gulam Nabi Azad, and others.
The High-Level Committee recently met and spoke with representatives from numerous political parties, including the BJP, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, CPI, CPI(M), AIMIM, RPI, and Apna Dal.
Representatives from these parties also provided written suggestions to the committee.
“One nation, one poll”: The Kovind panel’s report’s main points
- Simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls can be held in the first step, followed by local body elections within 100 days.
- If a legislature is deadlocked and a motion of no confidence is passed, new elections may be conducted to complete the remaining five-year term.
- For the first simultaneous polls, the tenure of all state assemblies can be extended till the next Lok Sabha elections.
- The Kovind panel suggests preplanning for equipment, personnel, and security forces to facilitate the organization of concurrent elections.
- Conducting simultaneous elections will greatly improve transparency, inclusiveness, convenience, and voter confidence.
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- Conducting simultaneous elections will stimulate the development process and promote social cohesion, while also strengthening the fundamental principles of democracy.
- Conducting simultaneous elections can assist in achieving the aspirations of ‘India, that is Bharat’.
- Coordinating elections across all three levels of government can enhance the governance framework, aligning with the aspirations of emerging India.