During its term, the BJP-led NDA government will carry out “one nation, one election,” according to sources. Additionally, they stated that the census will start shortly and that Jammu and Kashmir will regain its statehood as soon as possible after the elections.
The sources said that ‘one nation, one election’ ‘will be a reality’. “Definitely, it will be implemented in this tenure itself,” they said.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, promoted “one nation, one election” in his Independence Day speech last month, claiming that holding multiple elections impedes the advancement of the nation.
“The nation has to come forward for ‘one nation, one election’,” Modi had said in his address from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
The prime minister had urged the political parties “from the Red Fort and with the national tricolour as a witness to ensure the nation’s progress”.
The sources stated that unity within the ruling coalition will persist for the duration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term of office, which ends after 100 days in office.
He also asked the parties to ensure that national resources are used for the common person and said, “We have to come forward to realise the dream of ‘one nation, one election’.” ‘One nation, one election’ is one of the key promises made by the BJP in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections.
In March of this year, a high-level commission led by the former president Ram Nath Kovind suggested that the first step be holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, with synchronised local body polls to be held within 100 days.
A provision for unity government in situations such as hung house or no-confidence motion is also expected to be recommended by the Law Commission. Simultaneous polls for all three levels of government — Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies like municipalities and panchayats — are expected to be held beginning in 2029.
There is no time frame established by the Kovind panel for implementing simultaneous polling. It has suggested forming a “Implementation Group” to examine how the panel’s recommendations are being carried out.
The panel recommended as many as 18 constitutional amendments, most of which will not need ratification by the state assemblies. However, these would require certain Constitution amendment bills that would need to be passed by Parliament.
