The Ministry of Law recently announced the formation of an important committee, led by former President Ram Nath Kovind. This committee includes prominent figures like Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former opposition leader Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, and others. They will look into the idea of holding all elections at the same time.
What’s the Committee’s Goal?
The committee’s main task is to figure out how we can have elections for the national government, state legislatures, local governments, and village councils all happen together. They’ll review the laws and rules that govern elections and suggest changes if needed. They’ll also think about what to do if there’s a situation where no one party has a clear majority or if someone wants to challenge the government’s leadership.
This committee of eight experts will propose a plan for having all these elections at the same time, and they’ll decide how long it should take. They’ll also consider what equipment and people we need to make it work smoothly, like voting machines.
What Is ‘One Nation, One Election’?
In the past, we used to have elections for different levels of government at the same time. But this changed in the late 1960s when some state governments were dissolved early, causing problems. A government report in the 1970s suggested that we go back to having all elections at the same time – once every five years for the national and state governments.
It’s important to note that elections in some states will finish around the time of the next national election in 2024. Some states will vote for their leaders this year, while others will wait for the national election.
The talk about having one big election for everything started again when the government called a special meeting of Parliament from September 18 to 22, though they didn’t say why.
