The government has not set any timeline for holding simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies in the country, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. In written reply to a question, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice had examined the issue of simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies in consultation with various stakeholders, including the Election Commission. The committee gave certain recommendations in its 79th report, he said.
Asked whether the government has set any timeline for implementation of simultaneous elections in India, the minister answered in the negative. The Law Commission under Justice B S Chauhan (retd) had a couple of years ago recommended holding simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies to save public money.
The draft submitted to the Law Ministry had, however, cautioned that holding simultaneous elections is not possible within the existing framework of the Constitution. It had recommended amendment to the Constitution and electoral laws.
The Centre has been toying with the idea for quite some time now. The government think-tank, NITI Aayog, had suggested synchronised two-phase Lok Sabha and assembly polls from 2024 to ensure minimum campaign-mode disruption to governance.
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