'One nation, one poll' gets panel nod

New Delhi: A high-level panel on Thursday recommended simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days in its report on 'one nation, one election' submitted to President Droupadi Murmu.

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 headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind said in its report that runs into more than 18,000 pages.

However, the panel has made 321 pages public. The committee noted that B R Ambedkar had envisioned the necessity of uniformity in the electoral process and further advocated for the Union to be responsible for conducting elections in India.

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 government -- 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 or no-confidence motion.

The 2024 general elections for Lok Sabha, along with four state assemblies, are expected in April-May amid indications that the Election Commission may announce these polls as this Friday.

The Kovind panel, which has not specified any period for rolling out simultaneous polls, said in the first stage, elections for the Lok Sabha and assemblies can be held together.

In the second step, the elections to municipalities and panchayats will be synchronised with Lok Sabha and assemblies. (PTI)