New Delhi | The report of the high-level committee on 'one nation, one election' was placed before the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, sources said.
The panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind had submitted the report in March ahead of the announcement of Lok Sabha elections.
Placing the report before the Cabinet was a part of the law ministry's 110-day agenda.
The high-level committee had recommended simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
The panel had also proposed setting up of an 'Implementation Group' to look into the execution of the recommendations made by the committee.
Simultaneous polls will help save resources, spur development and social cohesion, deepen "foundations of democratic rubric" and help realise the aspirations of "India, that is Bharat", the panel had said.
The panel also recommended the preparation of a common electoral roll and voter ID cards by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in consultation with state election authorities.
At present, the ECI is responsible for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, while the local body polls for municipalities and panchayats are managed by state election commissions.
The panel recommended as many as 18 constitutional amendments, most of which will not need ratification by state Assemblies. However, these would require certain Constitution amendment Bills that would need to be passed by Parliament.
Some proposed changes regarding the single electoral roll and single voter ID card would need ratification by at least half of the states.
Separately, the Law Commission is also likely to come up soon with its own report on simultaneous polls, of which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong votary.
Sources said that the Law Commission is likely to recommend holding simultaneous polls for all three tiers of the government -- the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies and local bodies like municipalities and panchayats -- starting with 2029 and a provision for unity government in cases like hung house.
New Delhi | The high-level committee on "one nation, one election" approached 62 political parties, of which 47 responded -- 32 voicing support to holding simultaneous polls and 15 opposing it -- according to the panel's report that was accepted by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.
Fifteen political parties did not submit a response, said the report by the panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind.
Among the national parties, the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) opposed the proposal, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National People's Party (NPP) supported it.
"Responses were received from 47 political parties. Barring 15 political parties, the remaining 32 political parties not only favoured the system of simultaneous elections, but also advocated its adoption for saving scarce resources, protecting social harmony, and stimulating economic development," the report said.
"Those who opposed simultaneous elections raised apprehensions that its adoption could violate the basic structure of the Constitution, be anti-democratic and anti-federal, marginalise regional parties, encourage the dominance of national parties, and result in a presidential form of government," it said.
According to the report submitted by the panel to President Droupadi Murmu in March, the AAP, the Congress and the CPI(M) rejected the proposal, saying it undermines democracy and the basic structure of the Constitution. The BSP did not explicitly oppose it, but highlighted concerns regarding the large territorial extent and population of the country, which could make its implementation challenging.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) said if simultaneous elections are implemented, state-level parties will not be able to compete with national parties as far as electoral strategy and expenditure are concerned, leading to an increased discord between these two sets of parties.
Among the state parties, the AIUDF, the Trinamool Congress, the AIMIM, the CPI, the DMK, the Naga People's Front, and the SP opposed the proposal.
The AIADMK, All Jharkhand Students' Union, Apna Dal (Soney Lal), ASOM Gana Parishad, Biju Janata Dal, Lok Janashakti Party (R), Mizo National Front, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (United), Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, Shiromani Akali Dal and United People's Party Liberal supported the proposal.
Others, including Bharat Rashtra Samithi, Indian Union Muslim League, Jammu And Kashmir National Conference, Janata Dal (Secular), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Kerala Congress (M), Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Sikkim Democratic Front, Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress Party, did not respond.
Among other parties, the CPI(ML) Liberation and the Social Democratic Party of India opposed it, while the Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal, Bharatiya Samaj Party, Gorkha National Liberal Front, Hindustani Awam Morcha, Rashtriya Lok Jan Shakti Party and Rashtrawadi Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) were among those who opposed.
The report also said at an all-party meeting in 2019, which was attended by 19 political parties to discuss critical reforms in governance, holding simultaneous elections was among the issues discussed and 16 of the parties had favoured it.
Only three parties had opposed the idea, it said.
According to the report, at the 2019 meeting, the parties that had supported the idea were -- the BJP, Nationalist Congress Party, Janata Dal (United), YSR Congress, Biju Janata Dal, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, Lok Janashakti Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Apna Dal, All Jharkhand Students' Union, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, National Democratic Progressive Party, National People's Party, People's Democratic Party, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and Republican Party of India.
The CPI(M), AIMIM and RSP were the only parties that had opposed it.
New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Wednesday that the Union Cabinet approving the recommendation to hold national and state elections simultaneously is an important step towards making India's democracy even more vibrant and participative.
The cabinet on Wednesday accepted a high-level panel's recommendations for holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner after a countrywide consensus-building exercise.
"The Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections. I compliment our former President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji for spearheading this effort and consulting a wide range of stakeholders," the PM said in a post on X.
The prime minister has been a strong votary of the concept and has repeatedly promoted the idea from various platforms, arguing that a continuous election cycle obstructs development works and causes avoidable expenditure among other factors.
