GUWAHATI: The Union cabinet on Thursday, December 12 approved the 'One Nation, One Election' Bill, nearly three months after it accepted the recommendations of the high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind on holding simultaneous polls.
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The cabinet approved two Bills on Thursday — one to conduct elections for the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies together, and another to align elections for assemblies in Delhi and other union territories, according to reports.
These are likely to be tabled in this Winter session of Parliament and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for wider consultation.
However, the government has not confirmed the timeline for implementation — whether simultaneous polls will begin in 2029 or 2034.
The cabinet focused solely on aligning Lok Sabha and state assembly elections, leaving local elections (panchayat and municipal) for a later phase.
This approach aligns with the first phase of recommendations made by the Kovind Committee in March. The committee had proposed a two-stage process: first, combining national and state elections, followed by local body elections within 100 days of the combined polls.
The Bills to hold simultaneous polls for all state and UT assemblies along with parliamentary elections can be passed by Parliament without consultation with state governments or ratification by state assemblies. However, if the government introduces a Bill to align local body polls or create a Single Electoral Roll through the Election Commission of India (ECI), it would require ratification by at least half of the state legislatures before being enacted.
In September, the Union cabinet approved the proposal in the report presented by the committee headed by Kovind.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hailed the proposal, saying,"The Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections."
"I complement our former President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji, for spearheading this effort and consulting a wide range of stakeholders. This is an important step towards making our democracy even more vibrant and participative," PM Modi posted on X.
Of the 47 political parties that submitted their views, 32 supported the proposal, while Opposition parties, including the Congress, raised strong objections.
Apart from NDA constituents, other supporters of the plan included the BJD, Akali Dal, and Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party. Opposition parties such as the Congress, AAP, DMK, CPI, CPM, BSP, TMC, and SP were among those who opposed it.
Despite the BJP’s reduced tally in the Lok Sabha, the NDA government has reiterated its commitment to implementing simultaneous polls.
