NDA allies, SAD and a few regional players back '1 Nation, 1 Poll'
parties, including NDA allies and erstwhile BJP partner SAD, have responded favourably to the idea of 'one nation, one election', sources said.
Former president Ram Nath Kovind-led high-level committee is likely to hold deliberations with chief election commissioner and Bar Council of India representatives in its next meeting on Saturday, sources said.
Several parties, including BJP, are yet to get back to the panel and have sought more time. Lok Janshakti Party, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, Tamil Manila Congress, PMK and SAD are among the parties that have backed the idea, sources said.
The panel had sought views from 46 parties; only 17 have replied so far.
Most of them have opposed the idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls. Nearly 80% of the responses (more than 20,000) received from the public have backed the idea.
Responding to the panel's letter, the Election Commission of India has reportedly suggested that it would require an estimated ₹10,000 crore every 15 years to procure new electronic voting machines if simultaneous polls are held. ECI also said that five Articles of the Constitution will need amendments.
