How One Nation, One Election Will Work, According To Kovind Report

President Ram Nath Kovind-led panel has recommended that simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and assemblies, suggesting a two-step process to implement one nation, one election.

In the first step, simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha (House of People) and the state legislative assemblies will be held, according to the report.

While this will require changes to the constitution, no ratification by the states will be required for the constitutional amendment.

In the second step, elections to the municipalities and panchayats will be held within 100 days of simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and state assemblies. This will require ratification by not less than one-half of the states.

In the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election, constitutional amendments on simultaneous polls can be notified. That will be called the appointed date.

After the appointed date, tenure of all state assemblies constituted by elections shall only be for the period ending the next general elections. So, in effect, there can be state government that will not have a five-year term.

Thereafter, all elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be held simultaneously.

The report states that in case of a hung House, no confidence motion, or any such event, fresh elections will be held for Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Lok Sabha: The recommendations say that when Lok Sabha is dissolved sooner than expiry of its full term, fresh elections will be held. The newly elected house will function for the remaining unexpired term. So, if implemented, there could be central governments with tenure of less than five years.

State Assemblies: If a state government falls before its term ends, fresh elections will be called. The new elected state government will run till the term of the ongoing Lok Sabha expires. In other words, the next state election will be matched with that of the next Lok Sabha election.

Local Bodies: This holds true for local body polls: municipal and panchayat mid-term elections will expire when the ongoing Lok Sabha term ends.