The Centre has written to the Election Commission (EC) seeking data on the logistics of holding simultaneous polls at three levels — Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and municipality. It is learnt that the Law Ministry wrote to the Election Commission on January 5, requesting it to “provide relevant data in respect of the requirements of logistics and manpower, including EVM’s, VVPATS, etc., for holding such simultaneous elections”. The poll body’s response is crucial to decide the logistics of holding simultaneous elections at all three levels. Meanwhile, the Law Commission, which is studying the feasibility of holding simultaneous polls, is likely to finalise issues surrounding the legality of the move without waiting for the EC’s response. The EC’s response will also bring into focus the issue of a common electoral roll, which is among the promises made by the BJP in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Currently, at least eight states have their own voters' list, distinct from the EC’s list for local body polls. Constitutionally, the Election Commission is responsible for conducting polls to the offices of the President and the Vice President of India, to Parliament, state Assemblies and Legislative Councils; the State Election Commissions conduct municipal and panchayat elections. The additional information from the EC is required as the Centre had expanded the scope of reference to the 22nd Law Commission on the ‘one nation, one election’ issue. “The (Law) Commission has received an additional reference from the Law Ministry to also examine the issues relating to holding simultaneous elections of municipalities and panchayats,” sources told the Indian Express. Earlier, the law panel was only looking into simultaneously holding the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha elections. The Indian Express had reported in September last year that the Law Commission’s report backing simultaneous polls was in the final stages and suggested timelines for both 2024 and 2029. The additional terms of reference now makes the mandate of the Law Commission similar to that of the high-level committee, headed by former President Ramnath Kovind, to “examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections and to Lok Sabha, state Assemblies, municipalities and panchayats”. On April 16, 2018, the government had first referred the issue of simultaneous polls to the Law Commission. The same year, the 21st Law Commission, headed by Justice B S Chauhan (retired), had published a draft report recommending, ‘one nation, one election’ idea. However, given the “complexity of the issues involved”, the Commission had said that it was desirable to have further discussions on the matter, involving all the stakeholders, before making the final recommendations to the government”. While the term of the 21st Commission ended before the final recommendations were made, the 22nd Law Commission, constituted in 2020, has taken up the issue again. RLJP leaders meet Kovind committee New Delhi: A delegation of the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, including party president and Union Minister for Food Processing Pashupati Kumar Paras, Thursday met chairman of the ‘One Nation One Election Committee’ Ram Nath Kovind to extend support for the idea of simultaneous polls. The RLJP, an NDA ally of the BJP, told Kovind simultaneous polls would “end a lot of. unnecessary expenditure incurred by India, political parties,” said a Law Ministry statement.
