Kovind-led panel on simultaneous elections invites suggestions from public

NEW DELHI — The panel on ‘One Nation, One Election’ led by former president Ram Nath Kovind has invited suggestions from the public “for making appropriate changes in the existing legal administrative framework to enable simultaneous elections in the country”.

In a public notice, the high-level committee said the suggestions received by January 15 would be taken up for consideration.

The suggestions can be posted on the committee’s website onoe.gov.in or sent by e-mail to sc-hlc@gov.in, the notice said.

The committee has held two meetings since it was constituted in September last year. It had also recently written to political parties seeking their views and an interaction on a “mutually agreed date” on the idea of holding simultaneous polls. It had later sent a reminder to the parties.

Letters were sent to six national parties, 33 state parties and seven registered unrecognised parties.

The committee has also heard the views of the Law Commission on simultaneous polls. The law panel could be called again on the issue.

According to its terms of reference, the committee is meant to “examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the House of the People (Lok Sabha), State Legislative Assemblies, Municipalities and Panchayats, keeping in view the existing framework under the Constitution of India and other statutory provisions, and for that purpose, examine and recommend specific amendments to the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the rules made thereunder and any other law or rules which would require amendments for the purpose of holding simultaneous elections”.