The Joint Parliamentary Committee on One Nation, One Election expressed its views on the proposed ‘One Country, One Election’ system. The committee said that Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and local municipality and panchayat elections will be held simultaneously across the country. It is expected to save around Rs 7 lakh crore globally.
Also, the country’s GDP growth rate is likely to increase to around 1.6 percent, JPC chairman and Lok Sabha MP PP Chowdhury told a press conference in Gandhinagar.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has constituted an eight-member committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind. The committee produced a report after 186 days of deliberations and reviews. Later the matter was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. According to the report, if three levels of elections are held simultaneously, the country will benefit economically and administratively.
The committee has recommended holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together in the first phase. Panchayat and municipal elections are proposed to be held within 100 days. The JPC is currently examining the Constitution Amendment Bill and the Union Territories Act Amendment Bill. The committee members are on a three-day visit to Gujarat.
The ‘One Country, One Election’ Bill is currently under consideration of the Joint Parliamentary Committee. The committee has sought the opinions of various experts including former Election Commissioner, former Chief Justice. The committee, headed by BJP MP PP Chowdhury, has a total of 39 members, including 27 from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha. However, the chairman has already made it clear that implementation of the one country, one election policy is not possible before 2034 and the committee is currently working with that deadline in mind.
