One Nation One Election news: Former president Ram Nath Kovind to head committee

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Narendra Modi. Speculation has heightened about a possible rescheduling of electoral timelines, both for the Lok Sabha and various state assemblies. This comes on the heels of an upcoming special session of Parliament, slated for September 18-22.

Although the agenda for this meeting is yet to be disclosed, political pundits are pondering whether it will revolve around this hot topic. The committee's formation arrives just as five states are bracing for assembly elections in the coming November and December. These will precede the Lok Sabha elections, initially expected in May-June 2024.

The recent moves indicate the government might be contemplating advancing some of these elections to coincide with the Lok Sabha polls. PM Modi has been an ardent supporter of unifying the electoral cycles for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The decision to nominate Kovind to spearhead the exploratory committee is seen as a confirmation of the government's earnestness to bring this concept to fruition.

This could be especially pertinent as a series of elections are in the pipeline. The concept of "One Nation, One Election" in India aims to synchronise elections for the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India's Parliament) and all state assemblies. The idea is to hold these elections simultaneously, either on a single day or within a specific time frame.

One of the primary benefits is the reduction in the cost of conducting elections. Separate elections require significant financial resources. Simultaneous elections would ease the burden on administrative and security forces, who otherwise are engaged multiple times in election duties.