Holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies in 2029 under the Modi government’s ‘One Nation, One Election’ initiative is possible if the Constitution is amended and state governments support the move, according to P.P. Chaudhary, the chairman of the joint parliamentary panel examining the related bills.

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aim to synchronise Lok Sabha and State Assembly polls, were sent to the 31-member joint committee of Parliament headed by Mr. Chaudhary, a BJP MP from Rajasthan, following the Opposition’s demand for broader scrutiny.

When asked if State assembly elections could be held alongside the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Chaudhary said on Monday (August 24, 2026) that if the constitutional amendment is approved in Parliament by 2028, the rollout of ‘One Nation, One Election’ can begin that same year.

“Then what is the problem? If the States express their desire in 2029, we can’t give the States directions to dissolve their Assembly.”

“They have to make their own decisions. It depends on the respective Chief Ministers and their Council of Ministers. If the Council of Ministers of the States decide in favour of ‘One Nation One Election’, that State elections should be held along with the Lok Sabha polls, then it is possible. It is up to them what they decide. The Indian Constitution allows that; it is permissible.”

“Under the Indian Constitution, the states are empowered to hold simultaneous polls,” he told reporters at the Parliament House complex after a meeting of the panel.

The BJP leader said democracy means the will of the people, not the will of the political parties, and everyone has to see what the will of the people is.

“We have visited 10 states and interacted with a cross-section of people, and we have realised that 99 per cent of people, civil society, want simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and State Mssemblies,” he said.

Mr. Chaudhary said there may be different opinions of political parties, but the committee has to work together in the interest of the country.

“We have to work on what the people want, what the country wants. We are working with the will of the people. That is why we have invited civil society members to take their opinions,” he said.

Mr. Chaudhary said that Parliament gave the panel the mandate to examine and give recommendations on the two Constitution amendment bills.

Two-thirds of members of Parliament have to support the bills for their passage.

Another government-sponsored Constitution amendment bill, the delimitation-linked women reservation bill, which also required support of two-thirds of members of Parliament, was defeated in the Lok Sabha in April.

Mr. Chaudhary said the Parliament mandated the committee to examine the legislation and fix the shortcomings, if any, and make sure that the simultaneous polls are held successfully.

He said if simultaneous elections in Lok Sabha and State assemblies are held, everyone will benefit from it and the biggest beneficiary will be the country’s youth.

mr. Chaudhary also said that 30% of the time of government schools is used in poll-related work every year.

The Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2024, following which they were referred to the joint committee for examination.

The Bills were formulated after a high-level panel, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, recommended holding Lok Sabha, State assembly and local body elections simultaneously in a phased manner. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also a member of the high-level panel headed by Mr. Kovind.

Following the adoption of the Constitution, elections to the Lok Sabha and all State Legislative Assemblies were conducted simultaneously from 1951 to 1967.

The first general elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies were held together in 1951-52, a practice that continued for three subsequent general elections in 1957, 1962, and 1967.

However, this cycle of synchronised elections was disrupted in 1968 and 1969 due to the premature dissolution of some State Legislative Assemblies.

The Fourth Lok Sabha was also dissolved prematurely in 1970, with fresh elections held in 1971. Unlike the First, Second, and Third Lok Sabha, which completed their full five-year terms, the Fifth Lok Sabha’s term was extended until 1977 under Article 352 because of the declaration of Emergency.

Since then, only a few Lok Sabha terms have lasted the full five years, such as the Eighth, Tenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth. Others, including the Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth, were dissolved early.

State Assemblies have faced similar disruptions over the years. Premature dissolutions and term extensions have become a recurring challenge.

These developments have firmly disrupted the cycle of simultaneous elections, leading to the current pattern of staggered electoral schedules across the country.

Published – August 25, 2026 02:39 am IST

A file image of Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), P.P. Chaudhary.
| Photo Credit: ANI

New Delhi:

The high-level panel on ‘one nation, one election’ studied election processes in seven countries including South Africa, Sweden and Belgium, before recommending simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and state assemblies in India, according to the committee’s report approved by Union Cabinet on Wednesday.

The other countries where simultaneous elections are conducted are Germany, Japan, Indonesia and the Phillipines.

The panel led by former president Ram Nath Kovind had submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu in March recommending simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.

According to the report, a comparative analysis of other countries was drawn while dealing with the issue of simultaneous elections. The aim was to study and adopt the best international practices to ensure fairness and transparency in elections.

“In South Africa, voters cast their ballots for both the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures simultaneously. However, municipal elections are held separately from provincial ones in a five-year cycle. On May 29, South Africa will hold its general elections to elect a new National Assembly as well as the Provincial Legislature for each province,” the report said.

The panel noted that Sweden follows the proportional electoral system, which means that political parties are assigned a number of seats in the elected assembly based on their share of votes.

“They have a system where elections for the Parliament (Riksdag), County Councils and Municipal Councils all take place at the same time. These elections occur every four years on the second Sunday of September whereas elections to the municipal assemblies occur on the second Sunday of September, once every five years,” it said.

Subhash C Kashyap, a member of the high-level committee, supported the German model of a constructive vote of no-confidence in addition to the procedure for the appointment of chancellor made by the Bundestag.

“He also explained the process that is followed in Japan. In Japan, the prime minister is firstly appointed by the National Diet and thereafter accepted by the Emperor. He advocated adoption of a model similar to German or Japanese model. This, in his view, will also be beneficial to India,” the report said.

Since, 2019 Indonesia has been conducting simultaneous elections, a system where the President, Vice President, and members of both national and regional legislative bodies are elected on the same day.

“Voters cast a secret ballot and dip their fingers in indelible ink to prevent duplicate voting. Political parties need 4 pc of votes to qualify for the National Parliament. A presidential candidate needs more than 50 pc of votes cast overall and at least 20 pc of votes in more than half the country’s provinces to win.

“On February 14, 2024, Indonesia successfully conducted simultaneous elections. It is being termed as the world’s largest single day elections since nearly 200 million people voted across all five levels — President, Vice President, Members of Parliament, Members of Regional Assemblies and Municipal elections,” the report said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The high-level committee on ‘one nation, one election’ headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday reviewed the progress made by it since it was set up in September last, an official statement said.

The committee at its meeting on Saturday “reviewed its various activities”, the statement said.

The panel has been reviewing the progress made by it since it was set up in September last year.

The committee is mandated to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats keeping in view the existing constitutional framework.

While the ruling BJP and other parties, including the Shiv Sena and the Janata Dal (United), have supported the concept of simultaneous polls, the opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), have rejected the idea.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Taking a big step forward on the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal, the Centre has set up a committee to study the issue and submit a report. The panel will be headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind.

The move comes a day after Centre had announced a special session of the Parliament from September 18 to 22. Ever since the surprise announcement was made, there has been speculation that a bill on ‘one nation, one election’ will be tabled during the session, but no one from the government has confirmed this so far. 

‘One nation, one election’ refers to holding the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls simultaneously across the country. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have spoken on the issue on several occasions, and it was also a part of the party’s manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Conducting polls simultaneously was the norm in India until 1967 and four elections were held this way. The practice stopped after some state assemblies were dissolved prematurely in 1968-69. The Lok Sabha was also, for the first time, dissolved a year ahead of schedule in 1971 and mid-term elections had been called.