A high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday unanimously backed simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies, state and local tiers and called for a raft of constitutional amendments to achieve the goal, potentially setting the stage for the far-reaching but controversial reform that can reshape the world’s largest democracy.

The eight-member committee submitted its 18,626 page-long report to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday morning, outlining a phased approach to synchronise elections, beginning first with Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, and following up with local body polls within 100 days.

“Simultaneous polls will help save resources, spur development and social cohesion, deepen the foundations of democratic rubric and help realise the aspirations of India, that is Bharat,” the report said.

“Simultaneous elections will bring fundamental transformation in the electoral process and overall governance. It will result in optimising scarce resources and also encourage voters to participate in the electoral process in larger numbers,” the panel added.

To be sure, simultaneous elections do not mean that voting across the country for the three tiers of government must take place on a single day. “In a country as large as India, it is not possible to have that. Pragmatism requires elections to be held in phases,” clarified the panel.

The proposal was welcomed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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“It is a historic day for the country’s democratic system. Today, the High-Level Committee formed by the Modi government on One Nation One Election, chaired by Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji, presented its report before the Hon’ble President,” Union home minister Amit Shah said in a post on X.

The Opposition, led by the Congress, said the recommendations could hurt democracy.

“How can there be One Nation, One Election when the current regime is not accepting the people’s mandate? Also, it’s against the spirit of decentralisation of the panchayats and everything else. So let’s see what the recommendations are,” Congress leader Priyank Kharge said.

From the first elections in Independent India in 1952 until 1967, elections were held simultaneously across the country. But since the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be dissolved before their tenures end, the state and national elections came to be held at different times after that.

Several committees, including a parliamentary panel, the Niti Aayog and the Election Commission of India, have studied simultaneous polls in the past, backing the idea but flagging logistical concerns.

The report said that the panel – set up by the Union government on September 2, 2023 — received responses from 47 political parties, with 32 favouring simultaneous elections. These parties — which include the BJP, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Janata Dal United (JDU) and the Shiv Sena — said the proposal will save scarce resources, protect social harmony, and stimulate economic development. However, 13 political parties opposed simultaneous elections — including Congress, BSP, Aam Aadmi Party, CPI(M) —expressing concerns that it could violate the basic structure of the Constitution, be anti-democratic and anti-federal, marginalise regional parties, encourage the dominance of national parties, and lead to a presidential form of government.

One nation, one election: Three retired chief justices, former state election commissioner opposed simultaneous polls

Four former Chief Justices of India — Dipak Misra, Ranjan Gogoi, Sharad Arvind Bobde and UU Lalit — and a former judge of the top court unequivocally endorsed simultaneous elections.

According to the report, the former judges said, “Separate elections cause a waste of resources, result in policy paralysis, and inflict a huge socio-economic burden on the nation, besides developing fatigue amongst voters.”

Former four chief election commissioners were also consulted, all of whom, supported the decision.

The panel outlined a roadmap for simultaneous elections, flagged demands for adequate voting machines, polling personnel, security forces and other materials, and called for further planning and coordination between central and state electoral bodies to streamline electoral processes.

“In the first step, simultaneous elections to the House of the people and the state legislative assemblies be held. In the second step, the elections to municipalities and panchayats will be synchronised with House of people and state legislative assemblies,” the report said.

National and state elections are conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and local body polls are conducted by state election commissions.

In all, the committee recommended two amendments to the Constitution.

“Necessary amendments to the Constitution will not be anti-democratic or anti-federal, violate the basic structure of the Constitution, or result in a presidential form of government,” the panel said.

The panel also dismissed concerns about national party dominance. “The Indian electorate is sagacious enough to differentiate between national and regional issues, as also between national and regional parties.”

The panel said that simultaneous elections will offer benefits such as convenience for voters, stability for businesses, and reduced disruptions to governance and production cycles. They will streamline processes, minimise financial burdens, and mitigate election-related issues, ultimately promoting efficiency and stability in the electoral system, it said.

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The committee suggested holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in the first step, and synchronising local body polls within 100 days.

The Constitution would have to be amended to introduce the concepts of a “full term” and an “unexpired period” (where the House or the assembly is dissolved sooner than the expiry of its “full term”), and provisions made so that the elections held where the House or an assembly is dissolved sooner than its “full term” would be considered to be a “mid-term” election. The election held after the expiry of five years would be considered a “general election,” the report noted.

In the event of a mid-term dissolution (encompassing instances of a hung House, no-confidence motion, or any other such event), the term of the reconstituted legislature shall be for the remaining unexpired period of the original term of five years so that next election to the legislature concerned could take place with “general election”.

In extraordinary circumstances where simultaneous elections to legislative assemblies cannot be conducted, the Election Commission of India may recommend conducting these elections at a later date. However, the term of such legislative assemblies will end concurrently with the Lok Sabha’s full term, the panel said.

The first step involved amending Article 83 which stipulates the duration of both Houses of Parliament and Article 172 lays down the term for the Legislative Assemblies and Legislative Councils of the States, and introducing Article 82A(1),(2),and (3). Article 82A (1) would designate the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after the next election as the “Appointed date”, establishing a clear starting point for the new legislative term. Complementing this, Article 82A (2) proposes aligning the terms of state assemblies with that of the Lok Sabha, ensuring a synchronized electoral calendar for smoother governance.

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Article 82A(3) seeks to empower the Election Commission of India to conduct simultaneous polls across various levels of governance, consolidating its authority in overseeing fair and efficient elections nationwide. These amendments collectively aim to streamline the electoral process and strengthen democratic practices in India. This will not require ratification by the states, said the panel.

In the second step, elections to municipalities and panchayats will be synchronised through the insertion of Article 324A which would authorise Parliament to make a law so that elections to municipalities and panchayats are held simultaneously with the general elections, and amendment to Article 325 which states that no person to be ineligible for inclusion in an electoral roll.

For the Lok Sabha, the panel suggested fresh elections in the event of dissolution, with the new House continuing for the remainder of the term. Similar provisions were recommended for state assemblies. Additionally, mid-term elections to municipalities and panchayats would be conducted to fill unexpired terms until the next general elections, said the panel.

The panel also recommended a single Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) to be used for elections at all three tiers of government. The Election Commission submitted detailed logistics and monetary requirements to meet the logistical demands of simultaneous elections.

The panel recommended that for the purpose of having a single electoral roll and single elector’s photo identity card, Article 325 may be suitably amended to the effect that the Election Commission of India prepares the electoral roll and voter IDs in consultation with the state election commissions. This amendment will require ratification by the States.