One Nation, One Election: How It Will Be Implemented & What Are Proposed Changes In 2029 Polls

The implementation of the ‘One Nation One Poll’ will be done by the implementation group which will take forward the recommendations of the Kovind panel. 

'One nation, one election' could be a reality soon as the centre on Wednesday gave nod to the recommendations made in the panel report headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind for holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that an implementation group would be formed to take forward the recommendations and detailed discussions would be held on various fora across the country over the next few months.

The initiative, that aims to synchronise Parliamentary and Assembly elections, has been a part of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government's 100-day agenda. During the Independence Day address, PM Modi argued that frequent elections create impediments to the country’s progress.

What Is The Kovind Committee Recommendation?

The 18,626-page report of Kovind panel committee is an outcome of extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts and research work of over six months since it was constituted in September last year.

In March 2024, just before the Lok Sabha Election was announced, the panel recommended implementing ‘one nation, one election’ in two phases. The first phase would involve simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, while the second phase would conduct elections for local bodies within 100 days of the general election.

The panel also suggested a common electoral roll, which would require coordination between the Election Commission (ECI) and state election commissions. As of now, the EC oversees Lok Sabha and assembly polls, while state election commissions manage polls for municipalities and panchayats.

When Will One Nation, One Election Be Implemented?

Though Ashwini Vaishnaw hasn't elaborated on when would a legislation be brought on the reform, it is likely that the government will introduce a bill regarding 'One nation, one election' in the winter session of the Parliament. Vaishnaw, however, quoted Union Minister Amit Shah as saying that the government would implement it in its current tenure.

The government will try to build a consensus over the next few months and only after the process is done and then the law ministry will draft a bill and place it before the cabinet and subsequently take it to the Parliament.

According to the Ram Nath Kovind Committee report, when the Parliament meets, an appointed date should be decided to notify the move. Once the date is notified, all the assemblies formed in the state shall only last till the period up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2029. 

So, the simultaneous elections would begin once the date of the Lok Sabha elections is decided in 2029. In those states, where the term of the assembly is beyond that date, their tenure will be short-terminated to align with the general elections.

How Will One nation, One Election Be Implemented?

The implementation of the ‘One Nation One Poll’ will be done by the implementation group which will take forward the recommendations of the Kovind panel. 

The group will execute the recommendations and the process will be carried out in two stages: first for the Lok Sabha and assembly elections and then the second for local body elections within 100 days of general elections, as mentioned above.

Moreover, there will be a common electoral roll for the three elections. The Voter ID cards will be prepared by the Election Commission in consultation with state election authorities, according to News18.

Tracing The Idea Of 'One Nation, One Election

A brief timeline of India's electoral history and how the gap emerged between the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls:

- Simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies were held in 1951-52, 1957, 1962 and 1967.

- However, over time, the concurrent nature of elections was lost as the tenure of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies were not for a fixed length of time but a maximum duration of five years.

- Between 1961 and 1970, five states -- Bihar, Kerala, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal -- had three elections.

- The scenario further deteriorated between 1971 and 1980 when 14 states witnessed elections thrice. In Odisha, polls were conducted four times in this decade.

- Between 1981 and 1990, five states had three elections. From 1991 to 2000, two states went through elections thrice and there were four Lok Sabha polls.

- The idea of simultaneous elections came up in 1983 when the Election Commission advocated the idea of conducting simultaneous elections for both the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

- Similarly, in 2002, the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution urged for the restoration of simultaneous polls.

- The Law Commission of India also recommended simultaneous polls in its reports of 1999, 2015 and 2018.

- In January 2017, NITI Aayog formulated a working paper titled "Analysis of Simultaneous Elections: The What, Why and How", exploring the prospect of holding concurrent elections for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

- In 2019, an all-party meeting was held in Delhi and it was attended by 19 political parties to discuss critical reforms in governance, including simultaneous elections.