New Delhi: More than 5,000 suggestions from the public have been sent to the committee on "One Nation, One Election," chaired by former president Ram Nath Kovind, regarding simultaneous polling. On September 2, the Centre established a commission to study and recommend holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies, the New Indian Express reported.
The high-level committee asked for suggestions from the public by January 15 via email, its website, or the mail in a notice published in mainstream newspapers on January 5. It said that suggestions are sought for “making appropriate changes in the existing legal administrative framework to enable simultaneous elections in the country.”
In the last ten days, more than 5,000 emails have been received, according to sources. The panel had stated in the notification that it would review the recommendations submitted by January 15th. Since its formation in September 2023, the committee has met twice thus far.
General Secretary of the CPI(M), Sitaram Yechury, wrote to the panel last week to state that the proposal of ‘One Nation One Poll’ itself runs against the letter and spirit of the Constitution, which defines the “centrality of the will of the people”.
Yechury described the plan as "inherently anti-democratic" and claimed that it "negated" the fundamental principles of federalism. He declared that the committee's goals and agenda were "pre-decided and predestined." In a recent letter, the panel asked political parties for their opinions and to meet on a "mutually agreed date."