Centre Clears 'One Nation, One Election' Proposal

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the 'one nation, one election' proposal, accepting the report of a panel formed in September and led by former President Ram Nath Kovind. According to sources, the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill is likely to be introduced in the upcoming winter session of Parliament.

The development came after the report of the high-level committee, which was headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, was placed before the Union Cabinet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address last month advocated for ‘one nation, one election,’ arguing that frequent elections create impediments to the country’s progress.

The idea of ‘one nation, one election’ refers to holding simultaneous elections across the country, which means, that the polls for Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be held together. This idea was first proposed in the 1980s. The Justice BP Jeevan Reddy-headed Law Commission said in its 170th Report in May 1999 that “we must go back to the situation where the elections to Lok Sabha and all the Legislative Assemblies are held at once”.