'One nation, one election' mechanism may be ready for rollout by 2029: Joint panel chief

The Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Bills on simultaneous elections is working to create a mechanism that could make the ‘One Nation, One Election’ reform fully operational by the 2029 general election, its chairperson said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the panel’s two-day meeting in Goa, P.P. Chaudhary claimed that nearly 99 % of civil society stakeholders consulted so far have backed the proposal, which aims to curb an estimated ₹7 lakh crore economic loss caused by frequent elections.

The committee began its deliberations in Goa on the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, with an interaction with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and members of his Cabinet, seeking their views on the challenges involved in implementing simultaneous elections and ways to address them.

Highlighting the economic rationale behind the proposal, Mr. Chaudhary cited findings placed before the high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind.

He said that an economic study submitted to the Kovind committee estimated that holding elections separately across the country results in an economic loss of nearly ₹7 lakh crore.