One Nation, One Election Report: Here’s all you need to know [Read Report]

New Delhi: Former President Ram Nath Kovind-led panel submitted an report on 'One Nation One Election (ONOE)' to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday. It recommended that the central government must develop a legally tenable mechanism to restore the cycle of simultaneous elections.

The report is the outcome of consultations with stakeholders, experts, and research work of 191 days, since its inception on September 2, 2023.

The Union Law Ministry appointed the committee in September 2023 to make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, municipalities, and panchayats.

Apart from Kovind, the committee includes Home Minister Amit Shah, former Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission chairperson N K Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary-General Subhash C Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve, and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.

Notably, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was included in the committee but he declined to be a part of it, saying it was an “eyewash”.

Top recommendations by Ram Nath Kovind-led panel:

On examination of the constitutional and legal issues associated with simultaneous elections, the Ram Nath Kovind-led committee suggested an alternative enabling framework to make simultaneous elections tenable.

The committee suggested that, in the first step, simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and State Assembly be held. Then, the election of municipalities and panchayats will be synchronised in such a way that it is held within 100 days of the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections.

In the case of a hung House, or no-confidence motion, fresh elections can be held for the remainder of the five-year tenure.

The committee recognised the significance of the single electoral roll and single elector’s photo identity card (EPIC) (voter card) for elections to all three tiers of the Indian government - Centre (Lok Sabha), State (Legislative Assembly) and local (muncipalities and panchayats) to safeguard the rights of voters.

['One Nation One Election' Report]