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.