LUCKNOW, JUL 15 (PTI): The Election Commission, in its preliminary submission to the Joint Committee of Parliament on the proposed ‘One Nation One Election’, has said it would be ready to conduct simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections if given six months’ notice, panel chairman P P Chaudhary said on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media after the committee concluded its three-day consultations with academia here, Chaudhary said the panel would hear the Election Commission before finalising its recommendations on the proposed constitutional amendments. “We will hear the Election Commission on how it plans to conduct ‘One Nation One Election’. We will put our questions to it, and only after hearing its views will the committee recommend whether it is feasible or not,” he said.
Referring to the EC’s submission, Chaudhary said the poll body believed simultaneous elections across the country would be feasible if it received six months’ advance notice. “The Election Commission believes that if Parliament passes the law in 2028, it can conduct ‘One Nation One Election’ from 2029,” he said.
Describing the proposal as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, Chaudhary said simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were held in the country between 1954 and 1960 using ballot papers.
He said constitutional experts appearing before the panel had opined that the proposal did not violate the basic structure of the Constitution, federalism or democracy.
“It is only a timetable for holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together. It does not curtail the powers or rights of the states,” he said, quoting the experts.
Claiming broad public support, Chaudhary said stakeholders had told the committee that frequent elections disrupted governance as officials were repeatedly diverted for poll duty across states.
Earlier, the committee examining the Constitution (Amendment) Bills on the proposed initiative held discussions with vice-chancellors, directors and heads of departments from leading institutions in Uttar Pradesh, including Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Banaras Hindu University, Indian Institute of Information Technology Kanpur, Indian Institute of Management Lucknow and the University of Allahabad.
According to an official statement, participants made presentations on various provisions of the proposed constitutional amendment Bills. Discussions covered Centre-State relations, implications of mid-term elections, the concept of an unexpired term, the sustainability of simultaneous polls, the proposed powers of the Election Commission and other electoral reforms.
The committee later interacted with Padma awardees, civil society representatives and media personalities, inviting suggestions on the proposed reforms. It said the consultations were aimed at encouraging wider public participation and that the inputs received would assist its examination of the proposed legislation on simultaneous elections.
Thursday, July 16, 2026