Law Commission prepares Report on Simultaneous Polls

Law Commission prepares Report on Simultaneous Polls

News: The Law Commission of India has suggested three major Constitutional amendments to set the ground for the ‘One Nation, One Election’ project in 2029.

Background:
• The 22nd Law Commission, headed by former Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, is set to recommend the addition of a new chapter on simultaneous polls in the Constitution.
• Presently, Part XV of the Constitution deals with elections. The Commission is likely to recommend insertion of a new chapter, Part XVA, that would make provisions for simultaneous polls.

Key Recommendations

Synchronization of Assembly elections
• The Commission’s report is likely to suggest synchronising assembly elections in two stages in the next five years before all states can go to polls simultaneously with the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029.
• Then 2029 can be the third election cycle where the Centre, all states, municipal and panchayat elections can be held together.

Sustainability of Simultaneous polls
• One of the key concerns on simultaneous polls was tackling situations where the mandate results in a hung assembly or when a government falls midway when a no-confidence vote is instituted.
• According to sources, the Law Commission suggests to first attempt setting up an all-party “unity” government in circumstances when government falls during its five-year tenure.
• “If that is not possible, then the alternative would be holding elections only for the term remaining before another cycle of simultaneous polls can be held”. Contesting elections only to form a government for a short term could be a disincentive for political parties to bring down a government.

Common voter list
• Currently in many states, the voter list for the panchayat and municipal elections is different from the one used for Parliament and assembly elections.
• It said a common voter list will ensure every citizen gets the right to exercise his/her franchise for all public bodies.

Note – To read about the topic in Detail please refer https://dics.co/current-affairs/one-nation-one-election-upsc