The members of the Law Commission, which is likely to release its own report on the proposal of holding simultaneous polls, are likely to meet the committee on one nation, one election chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday, said sources. According to the sources, the Law Commission, chaired by Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, finalised its report on one nation, one election plan earlier this month. In the meeting with the Kovind panel, it is expected to back the idea of holding simultaneous polls and suggest timelines for upcoming election cycles. The Kovind panel, which was set up by the government on September 2, held its first meeting on September 23 where it decided to invite recognised national and regional political parties, parties with state governments and those having their representatives in Parliament to give their suggestions. The committee, which includes Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, also decided to “invite the Law Commission of India to make its suggestions/viewpoints on the issue of simultaneous elections in the country”, the Law Ministry said. The high-level committee under Kovind has been tasked with looking into ways to hold Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body elections together in “national interest”. The BJP had included simultaneous elections in its party manifestos in 2014 and 2019, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken of the “need” to hold simultaneous elections on multiple occasions.
