Today in politics: Kovind panel on simultaneous set polls to meet; will Parliament gridlock end?

The context: Earlier this year, the government told the Rajya Sabha that while simultaneous polls would help the public exchequer save a lot of money, there were various “impediments” in enforcing it. The government said it would have to amend “not less than” five Articles of the Constitution — 83, 85, 172, 174, and 356. One argument against simultaneous elections is that they are likely to favour larger parties with a national presence. These parties with more resources can dominate campaigning and push regional parties and local issues to the side. Smaller parties with fewer resources are likely to struggle in such a scenario.

Recommended reading: Simultaneous polls past and present — What the numbers tell us

Inside Assemblies

The first session of the new Madhya Pradesh Assembly will start on Monday. The four-day session will see newly elected members take oath among other necessary business of the House while the Speaker will be elected on Wednesday. Pro-tem Speaker Gopal Bhargava, the senior-most BJP MLA, will administer the oath of office to the new legislators. The BJP has nominated former Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar for the Speaker’s post.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Assembly is likely to witness stormy scenes as the BJP looks set to step up its attack on the Hemant Soren-led government over the Enforcement Directorate’s summons to the CM and the seizure of over Rs 350 crore from premises linked to Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu.

In Parliament

Discussions on the three reworked criminal law reform Bills will continue in the Lok Sabha provided the Parliament gridlock ends. On Sunday, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to Speaker Om Birla, urging him to rescind the suspension of 13 Opposition members of the House. The MPs, he said, raised “very troubling issues” in the wake of the Parliament security breach and deserve a fair hearing.

The Centre earlier withdrew the criminal Bills to bring in new draft laws reflecting changes suggested by a parliamentary panel, including replacing “mental illness” as a defence of the accused with “unsound mind”. However, several recommendations have gone unconsidered in the new Bills. Among the other changes in the revised Bills are the enhancement of the minimum punishment for mob lynching and hate-crime murder from seven years to life imprisonment and the expansion of the definition of terrorism.

On PM Modi’s schedule

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate a unique temple of spirituality — Swarved Mahamandir — in Varanasi’s Umraha area. The temple is a physical representation of ‘Swarved’, authored by Vihangam Yog Sansthan school’s founder Sadguru Sadafal Deo.

Congress fundraising drive

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will launch the “Donate for Desh” crowdfunding drive that will conclude on December 28, which is the party’s foundation day. The party has urged donations to be made in multiples of 138, keeping in view the 138th anniversary of its foundation day. “This initiative is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s historic ‘Tilak Swaraj Fund’ in 1920-’21 and aims to empower our party in creating an India rich in equal resource distribution and opportunities,” Congress leader K C Venugopal said on Saturday while announcing the fundraising drive.

Shahi Idgah case

The Allahabad High Court will hear an application seeking the appointment of a court-monitored advocate commissioner to survey the Shahi Eidgah premises in Mathura. Vishnu Shankar Jain, the lawyer appearing for the Hindu side, earlier said, “Our application no. 130 ‘Ga’ was allowed on Thursday and on December 18 the court will hear the parties concerned and will decide the modalities of the commission, like how many advocates will be appointed commissioners and the timeframe of the survey will be decided on the next date.”