New Delhi: An eight-person high level committee has been assembled by the government to investigate One Nation, One Election. Ram Nath Kovind, a former president, has been chosen to lead the committee. Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress Member, Ghulam Nabi Azad, the former Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission, N.K. Singh, and others are named as members of the committee. Arjun Ram Meghwal, the minister of law and justice, will be a special invitee to the committee meetings. From 1951–1952 to 1967, when this cycle was broken, elections for the House of the People and state legislative assemblies were largely held concurrently.
The high level committee will review the current legal framework under the Constitution and other legislative requirements as it makes recommendations for holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, Municipalities, and Panchayats. It will investigate and provide recommendations regarding whether ratification by the States is necessary for constitutional amendments. Additionally, they’ll provide a plan for synchronising elections, including the steps and timetable for possible simultaneous elections. The group will also look at the resources, including EVMs and VVPATs, that would be needed to conduct simultaneous elections.