First official meeting on 'One Nation One Election' committee likely to be held today in Delhi

The first official meeting of the ‘One Nation One Election’ committee under the chairmanship of former President Ramnath Kovind is likely to take place today at his residence in Delhi, sources told ANI. Last week, the central government reinforced its push for ‘One Nation, One Election’ by constituting a panel to explore its feasibility in India. If the government goes ahead with the plan, India will see simultaneous polls across states. The proposal states that elections for Lok Sabha and all state assemblies should be held at the same time. The committee that has been tasked with examining the terms of ‘One Nation, One Election’ includes former President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission Chairman N K Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve, and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari. The ambitious project has irked the Opposition with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claiming that it has a “Modi twist.” Meanwhile, political strategist Prashant Kishor said that the idea of ‘One Nation, One Election’ can be in the “interest of India” provided that it is done with “correct intentions.” “If this is done with the correct intentions and there be a transition phase of 4-5 years, then it is in the interest of the country. This was once in effect in the country for 17-18 years,” Kishor said on Monday. He added, “Secondly, in a country as large as India, around 25% of the country votes every year. So, the people running the Govt remain busy in this circle of election. If this is limited to 1-2 times, it will be better.”