Law panel likely to recommend new chapter on 'one nation, one poll' in Constitution

The panel would also recommend synchronising the terms of legislative assemblies in 'three phases' in the next five years so that the first simultaneous polls could be held in May-June 2029 when elections for the 19th Lok Sabha are due.

New Delhi: The Law Commission is likely to recommend adding a new chapter to the Constitution on 'one nation, one election' and holding simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies across the country by mid-2029.

The Commission, under Justice (retd) Ritu Raj Awasthi, would recommend an amendment to the Constitution to add the "new chapter or part" on simultaneous elections, sources told news agencies.

The panel, a recommendatory body, would also propose synchronising the terms of legislative assemblies in "three phases" in the next five years so that the first simultaneous polls could be held in May-June 2029 when elections for the 19th Lok Sabha are due.

The new chapter in the Constitution would include issues related to "simultaneous election", "sustainability of simultaneous elections" and "common electoral roll" for Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, panchayats and municipalities so that the three-tier polls could be held together "in one go", they explained.

The new chapter being recommended will have the power of "non-extant" to override other provisions in the Constitution dealing with the terms of legislative assemblies.

The five-year period during which the terms of assemblies will be synchronised will be spread over three phases. The Commission will recommend that the first phase may deal with state assemblies whose period will have to be curtailed by a few months -- three or six months.

In case a government falls due to no confidence or if there is a hung House, the Commission would recommend the constitution of a "unity government" with representatives from various political parties.

In case the unity government formula does not work, the law panel would recommend holding fresh elections for the remainder of the term of the House.

"Suppose fresh elections are called for and the government still has three years, then polls should be for the remainder of the term -- three years -- to ensure sustainability," a source explained.

Besides the Law Commission, a high-level committee under former President Ram Nath Kovind is also working on a report on how simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, municipalities and panchayats can be held by tweaking the Constitution and the existing legal framework.

Along with the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, expected in April-May this year, elections to at least five assemblies are likely to take place. Moreover, state polls for Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand are expected later this year.

While assembly polls in Bihar and Delhi are due next year, the terms of Houses in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala will come to an end in 2026. For Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur, the next elections are due in 2027.

As many as nine states may have assembly polls scheduled for 2028 -- Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Karnataka, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana.