One Nation One Election: Centre appoints panel to examine, Opposition questions motive of BJP

New Delhi [India], September 1 : As the country is heading towards General elections next year, the Centre on Friday constituted a committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind to explore the possibility of 'One Nation, One Election' which envisages the holding of general election and state Assembly elections simultaneously. 
Informing about the decision, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, "Right now, a committee has been constituted. A report from the committee will come out which will be discussed. The Parliament is mature, and discussions will take place, there is no need to get nervous. India is called the mother of democracy, there is always an evolution. I will discuss the agenda of the Special session of Parliament."
BJP welcomed the move and said that it is the necessity of the day adding that the money spent on elections and that money can be used for welfare schemes.
"It is a praiseworthy effort. On behalf of the people of UP, I express gratitude towards the PM for this. 'One nation, one election' is the necessity of the day. During the process of elections, development works or new policies get hindered. It is required that we conduct Lok Sabha, Assembly and all other elections together. I welcome this step," Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said. 
In this regard, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said, "I welcome 'One Nation, One Election'. It will save the money spent on elections and that money can be used for welfare schemes. People have decided to elect PM Modi again in 2024."
Meanwhile, Gujarat BJP President CR Patil mentioned the merits of 'One Nation, One Election
"PM Modi has stated the merits of 'One Nation, One Election'.Due to many elections, there is a lot of expenditure repeatedly. Due to the imposition of a model code of conduct during elections, development works suffer. I hope the report of the committee formed under former president Ram Nath Kovind will be accepted by all. The opposition feels it should protest against it. They can give their suggestions, not only just protest," he said.
On 'One Nation, One Election', Goa CM Pramod Sawant said, "I welcome 'One Nation, One Election'. With continuous elections in the country, a lot of human resources are used, and a lot of money is spent. A lot of human resources and time will be saved with 'One Nation, One Election'. The country will also progress. I welcome this." 
Meanwhile, BJP leader Rajyavardhan Rathore said that the party has always mentioned in its manifesto to hold simultaneous elections in the country. 
"The Law Commission in 1983 and the Election Commission in 1999 had recommended that elections to the Legislative Assembly and the Lok Sabha should be held simultaneously in the country. In our manifesto also we mentioned that it will be our endeavour to hold simultaneous elections in the country," he said. 
"In the year 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the same thing in Lok Sabha. Similarly, in the year 2017, NITI Aayog also recommended simultaneous elections in the country. It is in the interest of the country," he added. 
However, the opposition questioned the motives of the Centre on this issue and said that it speaks about the nervousness of the BJP-led Union Government. 
"This is nothing new, this has been discussed several times earlier too. This has been a matter of debate in the country. Only time will tell what game they (Centre) want to play. They formed a committee today. They want to win the election in one way or the other. PM Modi and the Govt are nervous," CM Gehlot said. 
"INDIA alliance has strengthened. They feel that they will not win the upcoming elections. Their defeat is certain in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. So, they are floating this idea deliberately to give a message to the public," he added. 
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that there is no practical way in which One Nation One Election can be implemented in our current democratic setup. 
"I understand the logic of saying that why do we want to have elections every six months here and there. They are arguing that it costs money and there is a Model Code of Conduct so there will be paralysis of governance for periods of time," Tharoor said. 
"We understand all those arguments but the counter is, that your diagnosis can be right but your prescription can be wrong. Your prescription cannot work in a Parliamentary system. There is no practical way in which you can implement such a system," he added. 
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the committee was set up today to distract the people from the  Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) meeting. 
"One Nation, One Election was brought up only to distract from the INDIA meeting. Even when the last meeting (of INDIA alliance) was held, they had a separate meeting of their own. Who will be happier than us if One Nation, One Election is implemented? Will they do it in UP? If they hold UP elections along with Lok Sabha elections, what can be better than that?" he said. 
Congress MP Anand Sharma questioned the practicality of this election."In today's perspective is it practical? Amendments will need to be made to the Constitution," he said. 
Chhattisgarh Congress Incharge Kumari Selja said that the One Nation One election is a new way to weaken democracy. 
"This is a new way to weaken the democracy. Ahead of elections in the five states, they(BJP) can see the writing on the wall that they are not coming to power in any of the states. They are afraid of this," she said. 
On 'One Nation, One Election', Jammu Kashmir National Conference leader Tanvir Sadiq said, "We have our reservation against it because it not only weakens the federal structure of the country but it also harms the interest of the regional political party. For a broader answer to this, we will wait for the Kovind committee report. It has so many aspects to it, let it take the shape of a bill then we will be in a position to give a clearer & broader answer to it."
Meanwhile, constitutional experts said that 'One Nation, One Election is possible and it will require an amendment to the constitution. 
Former chief election commissioner OP Rawat weighed in on the matter, saying it was possible and all that is needed is an amendment in the Constitution.
"Framers of the Constitution had kept the provision of One Nation One Election in the law and in the Constitution. In 1952, 1957, 1962, and 1967, both state assembly and nation happened together. Since 1967, it started going out of sync and started the phenomenon around the year election. The election commission had in the year 1982-83 put forward a suggestion to bring an amendment (to the relevant law) so that one nation election can again be held simultaneously. The suggestion did not fructify then," he said. 
Former Law Secretary PK Malhotra also delved into the matter. Malhotra said, "One Nation, One Election is not being raised for the first time. It has been debated earlier also...Our PM has also from time to time said that the time has come when we should re-examine the issue and see that it is one nation, one election in the country. The committee which has been announced by the government under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind will deliberate on the issues and come out with a solution."
Vikas Singh, former additional solicitor general of India and President, the Supreme Court Bar Association said "One Nation One Election will reduce costs of holding elections. Overall it is a good move. The committee in itself is not capable of implementing it, constitutional amendment is needed which can only be done by the Parliament. Amendments in Article 83 (which delves into Parliament’s tenure), and Article 172 (tenure of State assemblies) are required while the anti-defection law has to be strengthened."
The government has decided to call a Special Session of Parliament from September 18-22 where it is speculated that the government could bring a bill for this proposal to take effect.
Simultaneous elections for the state assemblies and the Lok Sabha were held till 1967. However, in 1968 and 1969 some legislative assemblies were dissolved prematurely followed by the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in 1970. This forced a change in electoral schedules for the states and the country.