'One Nation One Election' committee formed, Kovind to head panel
What's the story
A panel was reportedly formed by the central government on Friday to explore the possibility of a "One Nation One Election."
The panel will be headed by former President and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Nath Kovind.
According to the news outlet India Today, an official notification regarding the members of this panel will be published later.
Details
Know about Centre's 'One Nation One Election'
Notably, "One Nation One Election" refers to the simultaneous conduct of the Lok Sabha and state polls across the nation.
For a long time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the saffron brigade have spoken about it on numerous occasions, and it was also part of the BJP's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections in 2014.
Reactions
Political reaction to 'One Nation One Election' move
Reacting to the development, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, "One Nation, One Election is fine, but there should be a fair election."
"They (central government) have brought this to postpone our demand for a fair election. I feel like this as a conspiracy to push the elections ahead," news agency ANI quoted the MP as saying.
Twitter Post
Check out Raut's reaction
#WATCH | Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader(UBT) and MP Sanjay Raut says, "...One nation, one election is fine, but there should be a fair election. They (Centre) have brought this to postpone our demand for a fair election. 'Mujhe lagta hai yeh ek shadyantra hai chunaav aage dhakelne ke… pic.twitter.com/PqYc4s4yPS
— ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2023
Further information
India practiced simultaneous elections until 1967: Know more
As per NDTV, conducting simultaneous elections was the norm until 1967 in India. Four elections took place in this matter, but they were stopped after some state assemblies were dissolved prematurely between 1968 and 1969.
In a first, the Lok Sabha was also dissolved a year ahead of schedule in 1970, and a mid-term poll took place in 1971.
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Special Parliament session from September 18-22
It is worth noting that this new development comes just a day after the Centre called for a "special" Parliament session from September 18 to 22.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister and top saffron brigade leader Pralhad Joshi officially announced the special session.
However, Joshi did not reveal the reason behind the move.
Reportedly, "One Nation, One Election" will be among the topics in the session.
More details
Recalling monsoon session of Parliament
This move also follows the conclusion of the Monsoon Session of Parliament that started on July 20 and ended on August 11.
The session saw numerous vituperative clashes between the newly-formed Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over multiple issues, including the ongoing statewide violence in Manipur.