Explained: How will the central government implement the “one nation, one election” principle?

In a major decision, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the recommendation of a panel chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind for “One Nation, One Election”.

The Kovind-led panel had submitted the recommendation report in March before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections.

Simultaneous elections: recommendations of a high-level committee

— Between 1951 and 1967, simultaneous elections took place.

— Law Commission: 170th Report (1999): One election to the Lok Sabha and all Legislative Assemblies in five years.

— 79th Parliamentary Committee Report (2015): Methodological proposals for simultaneous elections in two phases.

– A high-level committee chaired by Shri Ram Nath Kovind has extensively consulted a wide range of stakeholders, including political parties and experts.

Recommendations and further action

— Implementation in two phases.

In the first phase: Hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly.

In the second phase: Conduct local elections (Panchayat and Municipalities) within 100 days of the general elections.

— A single electoral roll is used for all elections; voter ID cards are issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in coordination with the state election authorities.

— Initiate detailed discussions across the country.

— Form an implementation group.

What the panel said about two phases

The Committee recommends that, as a first step, elections to the House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies be held simultaneously. As a second step, the elections to the Municipal and Panchayats be synchronised with the elections to the House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies so that the elections to the Municipal and Panchayat elections are held within one hundred days of the elections to the House of the People and the State Legislative Assemblies.

What happens if a house is blocked?

– The Committee recommended that in the event of a stalemate in Parliament, a motion of no confidence or a similar event, new elections should be held to form the new Parliament.

– When new elections are held for the House of the People, the term of office of the House of the People shall be only the remainder of the immediately preceding full term of office of the House of the People, and the expiration of that period shall be deemed to constitute a dissolution of the House.

When new elections are held for State Legislative Assemblies, the new Legislative Assembly shall, unless sooner dissolved, continue in office until the end of the term of the House of the People.