Law Commission for simultaneous polls to LS, Assemblies

The Law Commission on Thursday recommended holding of simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies in order to save public money, reduce the burden on administrative setup and security forces.

It will also ensure better implementation of government policies on time and the administrative machinery of the country.

In a draft report, the commission headed by Justice B S Chauhan said terms of certain state Legislative Assemblies will require curtailment or extension, necessitating amendment to the Article 172 of the Constitution.

“The commission is aware of the fact that holding simultaneous elections is not possible within the existing framework of the Constitution,” it said.

In its 171-page draft report, the commission said the elections to 12 state Assemblies and one Union Territory (with legislature), could be synchronised with the elections to the House of the People in the year 2019. The elections of state Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Telangana could be synchronised with 2019 General Elections.

“If there is political will, and a consensus is arrived at, elections to four state Assemblies, viz Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and NCT of Delhi can also be held along with the House of the People and the five states,” it said.

The polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan due in January 2019 could be synchronised only after an amendment to the Constitution, it said.

The commission also discussed other options to achieve the objective of simultaneous polls as a reference was made to it by the law ministry on April 16, 2018.