Parliamentary panel working on 'One Nation, One Election' mechanism for 2029

Panaji: The joint committee of Parliament examining the bills on simultaneous elections is working to create a mechanism that could make the 'One Nation, One Election' reform fully operational by the 2029 general elections, its chairperson said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the panel's two-day meeting in Goa, PP Chaudhary claimed that nearly 99 per cent of civil society stakeholders consulted so far have backed the proposal, which aims to curb an estimated Rs 7 lakh crore economic loss caused by frequent polls.

The committee began its deliberations in Goa on the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, with an interaction with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and members of his cabinet, seeking their views on the challenges involved in implementing simultaneous elections and ways to address them.

"We had an informal interaction with the chief minister and cabinet ministers, who represent the people of Goa. We discussed how 'One Nation, One Election' can be implemented, what challenges exist and how they can be mitigated while maintaining a fine balance acceptable to all," Chaudhary said.

He said that the committee has visited several states, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, where it interacted with constitutional experts, civil society organisations, educationists and other stakeholders.

An overwhelming majority of those consulted have supported the idea of simultaneous elections, said the BJP MP from Pali in Rajasthan.

"We have found that almost 99 per cent of stakeholders, particularly from civil society and various organisations, favour simultaneous elections. The effort now is to evolve a mechanism that is acceptable to all political parties," he said.

Asked about the timeline for implementation, he said the committee was examining various options, indicating that the reform could become operational by the time the next general elections are due in 2029.

He said there is also a possibility of bringing some states into alignment before that if political parties and the chief ministers voluntarily agree to synchronise their electoral cycles.

Highlighting the economic rationale behind the proposal, Chaudhary cited findings placed before the high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind.

He said that an economic study submitted to the Kovind committee estimated that holding elections separately across the country results in an economic loss of nearly Rs 7 lakh crore, while synchronised elections could generate equivalent gains for the national economy.

"Elections are now not confined to one state. If elections are held anywhere in the country, they have an impact on other states because the economy is interconnected," Chaudhary said.

Using Goa as an example, he said that elections in any major state affect tourist arrivals in Goa, while elections in the coastal state itself impact its tourism industry.

"The economy today is globalised. An adverse impact in one state affects other states as well. Frequent elections have economic consequences beyond state boundaries," he said.

The BJP MP also argued that repeated elections disrupt governance and adversely affect education, as teachers are routinely deployed for election-related duties, including preparation of electoral rolls, training and polling work.

"As a result, teaching in government schools suffers. The worst affected are children from economically weaker sections who depend on government schools. This is a serious concern if the situation continues over the coming decades," he said.

Chaudhary described simultaneous elections as a "major electoral reform" envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it would help the country achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

"The details will emerge with time. The objective is to build a broad consensus and evolve a practical mechanism acceptable to all," Choudhari said.