One Nation One Election: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised ‘One Nation One Election’ in 2014. The Modi cabinet finally approved the ‘One Nation One Election’ proposal on Wednesday (September 18). A committee was formed under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind to decide the process of One Nation One Election, it had 8 members. The Kovind Committee was constituted on 2 September 2023. The committee submitted its report to President Draupadi Murmu on 14 March. It was approved by the Modi cabinet on Wednesday. The committee has suggested extending the term of all assemblies till 2029. A bill can be introduced on this in the winter session of Parliament.
Let us know when One Nation One Election can be implemented? What will happen to the assemblies whose term has not been completed? How much will the election process in the country change after the implementation of One Nation One Election:-
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After the cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that ‘Assembly and Lok Sabha elections will be held together in the first phase. After this, municipal elections should be held together in the second phase within 100 days.
On September 17, Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the government will implement ‘One Nation One Election’ in this term itself. On August 15, the Prime Minister had said that frequent elections are creating obstacles in the progress of the country.
The committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, formed to consider One Nation One Election, submitted its report to President Draupadi Murmu on March 14. The report is 18 thousand 626 pages long.
The panel was formed on 2 September 2023. This report is the result of 191 days of research after discussions with stakeholders-experts. The committee has suggested extending the term of all assemblies till 2029.
What is one nation one election
At present, in India, the state assembly elections and the Lok Sabha elections are held at different times. One Nation One Election means that Lok Sabha and assembly elections should be held simultaneously across the country. That is, voters will cast their votes on the same day, at the same time or in a phased manner to elect members of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
After independence, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were held simultaneously in 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967, but in 1968 and 1969 many assemblies were dissolved prematurely. After that, the Lok Sabha was also dissolved in 1970. Due to this, the tradition of one country-one election was broken.
What did the government say on One Nation One Election?
-After the cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav gave a media briefing on the report of the Kovind Committee. He said that there
will be a common electoral role in the country.
-The committee has suggested holding elections in two phases. Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections will be held in the first phase. While local body elections will be held in the second phase within 100 days.
– These recommendations of the Kovind Committee will be implemented after the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. After the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, the President will fix a fixed date, so that the elections of the states and the Center will be held simultaneously. At least 5 to 6 constitutional amendments will be required for this.
-The Union Minister said that the Modi Cabinet will hold a nationwide discussion to consider the suggestions of the Kovind Committee on One Nation One Election. Only after this the next step will be taken.
5 suggestions of Kovind panel
- The tenure of all state assemblies should be extended till the next Lok Sabha elections i.e. 2029.
- In case of a hung assembly (no one has a majority) or a no-confidence motion, fresh elections can be held for the remaining term of 5 years.
- In the first phase, Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections can be held together, after which in the second phase, local body elections can be held within 100 days.
- The Election Commission will prepare single voter list and voter ID card in consultation with state election officers for Lok Sabha, Assembly, local body elections.
- The Kovind panel has recommended advance planning of equipment, manpower and security forces to hold simultaneous elections.
Will there be any obstacle in making the bill a law
- The Kovind Committee has suggested 18 constitutional changes, most of which do not require consent of state legislatures.
- For some constitutional changes, it will be necessary to pass bills in Parliament.
- Approval of more than half the states will be necessary for single electoral roll and single voter ID card.
- It is possible that the Law Commission may also present its report on the report of the Kovind Committee.
- Sources say that the Law Commission should suggest holding Lok Sabha, Assembly, local bodies and Panchayat elections simultaneously in 2029.
- Apart from this, the Law Commission should demand rules in case of a situation like a coalition government and hung assembly.
Who all are in the Kovind Committee?
A committee was formed on 2 September 2023 under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind to consider One Nation One Election.
Kovind’s committee has 8 members including Home Minister Amit Shah, former MP Ghulam Nabi Azad, renowned lawyer Harish Salve, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, former chairman of the 15th Finance Commission NK Singh, political scientist Subhash Kashyap, former Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) Sanjay Kothari. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has been made a special member of the committee.
How was the report prepared?
The committee contacted 62 political parties for this. Out of these, 32 parties supported One Nation One Election. Whereas, 15 parties opposed it. While there were 15 parties who did not give any reply. After 191 days of research, the committee submitted its report to President Draupadi Murmu on March 14. The committee’s report is of 18 thousand 626 pages.
From which countries did the Kovind Committee take which reference?
Kovind Committee prepared a report after researching the electoral process of 7 countries
-For One Nation One Election, the constitutions of many countries were analyzed. The committee studied the election process of Sweden, Japan, Germany, South Africa, Belgium, Philippines, Indonesia.
-In South Africa, Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections will be held in May next year. Whereas Sweden adopts the Proportional Electoral System for the election process.
-Talking about Germany and Japan, here the PM is selected first, then the rest of the elections are held.
-Similarly, in Indonesia too, the elections of the President and Vice President are held together.
Right now such is the possibility of One Nation-One Election
To implement one country-one election, the tenure of many state assemblies will be reduced. The tenure of the states where assembly elections were held at the end of 2023 can be extended. The report also said that if all the parties agree on the Law Commission’s proposal, then it will be implemented from 2029. Also, for this, assembly elections will have to be held in 25 states by December 2026.
First phase: 6 states, Voting: in November 2025
- Bihar: The current term will be completed. The next term will be only three and a half years.
- Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry will have their current term reduced by 3 years and 7 months. The subsequent term will also be 3 and a half years.
Second phase: 11 states, voting: in December 2026
- Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand: The current tenure will be reduced by 3 to 5 months. After that it will be two and a quarter years.
- Gujarat, Karnataka, Himachal, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura: Current tenure will be reduced from 13 to 17 months. The subsequent tenure will be two and a quarter years.
After these two phases, the term of all the assemblies of the country will end in June 2029. According to sources, the Kovind Committee will seek another proposal from the Law Commission, which will also talk about including the elections of local bodies.
Which parties are ready for One Nation One Election?
BJP, Nitish Kumar’s JDU, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Chirag Paswan’s LJP have supported One Nation One Election. Along with this, Assam Gana Parishad, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Shiv Sena (Shinde) faction have also supported One Nation One Election.
Which parties opposed?
The biggest party opposing One Nation One Election is Congress. Apart from this, 15 parties including Samajwadi Party (SP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), CPM (CPM) were against it. While 15 parties including Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) did not give any answer on One Nation One Election.
Has India ever had simultaneous elections?
Yes, it has happened. After India’s independence, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were held simultaneously in 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967. However, in 1968 and 1969, the term of several state assemblies was ended prematurely. In 1970, Indira Gandhi suggested dissolving the Lok Sabha even before the completion of its five-year term. With this, she also broke the tradition of holding simultaneous elections in India. While originally the Lok Sabha elections were to be held in 1972. Now the Modi government is trying to implement it again.
Which states’ assemblies may have a shorter tenure?
If One Nation One Election is implemented, the current tenure of Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand will be reduced by 3 to 5 months. The
tenure of Gujarat, Karnataka, Himachal, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura will also be reduced by 13 to 17 months. The current tenure of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry will be reduced.
What did the opposition leaders say on One Nation One Election
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge: ‘The Congress party opposes the proposal of ‘one nation, one election’. We believe that elections should be held whenever necessary to keep democracy alive.’
Kerala CM P Vijayan: ‘The Sangh Parivar is making a covert effort to take India’s electoral politics towards a presidential system. The slogan “One Nation, One Election” has been coined to eliminate the diverse nature of Indian parliamentary democracy.’
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi: ‘You cannot work on the basis of your convenience. The Constitution will work on the basis of constitutional principles. This has always been the ideology of the BJP and RSS. They do not want regional parties to exist. We have opposed it and will continue to do so.’
BSP chief Mayawati: We support the approval given today by the Union Cabinet to the proposal to hold Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body elections simultaneously in the country under the system of ‘one country, one election’, but its objective must be in the national and public interest.
AAP MP Sandeep Pathak: ‘This is another new slogan of BJP because some time ago elections were to be held in 4 states but they held elections in only two states (Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir), leaving out Jharkhand and Maharashtra. If a government falls in two and a half years, will President’s rule be imposed in two and a half years?’
RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha: ‘There was One Nation One Election in this country, Modi ji is not bringing any rare diamond. Why was it removed after 1962 because the dominance of a single party started ending. I will first see its draft. Suppose elections are held, the government in Uttar Pradesh falls, then what will happen? Will you impose President’s rule?’
What did BJP and its allies say…
Home Minister Amit Shah: ‘India is taking a big step towards historic electoral reforms. This reflects Modiji’s strong will to strengthen our democracy through clean and financially efficient elections and accelerate economic growth through more productive allocation of resources.’
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav: ‘Elections were held simultaneously from 1961 to 1957. In 1999, the Law Commission recommended holding separate Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. During our consultation process, 80 percent of the people from across the country have given a positive response to One Nation One Election. Especially the youth have supported it.’
JDU spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan: ‘This will make the picture of the changing India even better. The gigantic size of election expenditure will be controlled to a great extent. A large number of people will queue up at polling booths…security forces will be deployed on time and in a better manner.’
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One Nation One Election: Understand everything in 10 key points, from announcement to approval
1- In the first phase, the report recommended conducting simultaneous elections for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. It also suggested that local body elections be held within 100 days after the completion of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state elections. Additionally, the report advised, “There should be a single voter list for the entire country and a uniform voter card for all citizens.”
2- The central government plans to pass the One Nation, One Election Bill in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, after which it will become law. A committee led by a former President reached out to 62 political parties regarding the proposal, of which 32 parties expressed support. Meanwhile, 15 parties opposed it, and another 15 did not respond.
3- The committee also recommended that the Election Commission of India, in consultation with state election authorities, prepare a common voter list and voter ID. Currently, the Election Commission manages Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, while state election commissions handle local body elections. The committee proposed 18 constitutional amendments; most will not require state assembly approval, but some will need a Constitution Amendment Bill passed in Parliament.
4- PM Modi has repeatedly supported One Nation, One Election. He said, “Elections should be conducted within three or four months, not throughout the year. Simultaneous elections will save the country’s resources.” The PM also emphasized from the Red Fort, “The nation must move forward with One Nation, One Election.”
5- According to PTI, the Law Commission may recommend implementing simultaneous elections at all three levels — Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies — starting in 2029, with provisions for forming unity governments in cases like a hung assembly.
6- Senior BJP leaders have backed the concept. Home Minister Amit Shah said on September 17, 2024, that the BJP-led NDA government intends to implement the One Nation, One Election system within its current term.
7- While briefing cabinet decisions, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav mentioned that simultaneous elections were held from 1951 to 1967. Public opinion was widely sought, and the committee received 21,558 responses, of which 80% supported One Nation, One Election.
8- Political opposition to the system has emerged. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge argued that One Nation, One Election is impractical and a strategy by BJP to divert attention from key issues during elections.
9- Union Minister Giriraj Singh, supporting the initiative, said consultations were held with all Chief Justices, political leaders, and Chambers of Commerce, and the Cabinet approved it. He emphasized its importance for national development and maintaining law and order.
10- Amid these preparations, the central government received support from JDU on September 16, 2024. The JDU argued that One Nation, One Election would ensure policy continuity and help avoid the disruptions caused by frequent elections.
