Three former High Court chief justices and a state election commission head opposed the idea of simultaneous elections, according to the Kovind panel report. However, four former Supreme Court chief justices. Justices Dipak Misra, Ranjan Gogoi, Sharad Arvind Bobde, and U U Lalit submitted written responses in favour of the proposal. The report highlights differing opinions among legal experts on the feasibility of conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
New Delhi: During consultations held by a high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, three former high court chief justices and a former state election commissioner raised objections to the proposal of “One Nation, One Election.”
However, the committee’s report noted that all four former Supreme Court Chief Justices.
Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde, and Justice U U Lalit submitted written statements supporting the idea of holding simultaneous elections.
The report, which received approval from the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, recommended implementing simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies first, followed by synchronized local body elections within 100 days.
Among the former high court chief justices, nine expressed support for simultaneous elections, acknowledging their potential advantages, while three raised concerns or objections. Former Delhi High Court Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah opposed the idea, stating that it could “curb democratic expression” and raise concerns about altered voting patterns and political shifts at the state level.
The report noted,
“Additionally, he said that simultaneous elections hinder political accountability, as fixed terms offer representatives unwarranted stability without performance scrutiny, challenging democratic principles.”
Former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Girish Chandra Gupta also opposed the concept, arguing that it is not aligned with democratic principles. Similarly, Justice Sanjib Banerjee, former Chief Justice of Madras High Court, opposed simultaneous elections, citing concerns that it would “undermine India’s federal structure and be prejudicial to regional issues.”
In the report, former Delhi High Court Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah presented “empirical data showing frequent midterm state elections,” stressing the significance of allowing people to express their choices regularly.
He proposed,
“State funding of elections as a more effective reform to tackle corruption and inefficiency.”
The report also highlighted that all four former Chief Election Commissioners consulted by the panel supported the idea of simultaneous elections.
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Among the present and former state election commissioners consulted, seven endorsed the concept. However, former Tamil Nadu Election Commissioner V Palanikumar raised concerns.
One key issue, according to the report, the “dominance of national issues over local considerations during elections,” which could “dilute the focus on region-specific challenges and reduce the effectiveness of local governance.”
Additionally, Palanikumar pointed out,
“The acute shortage of electoral manpower,” stressing the need to “bolster staff to ensure the seamless and efficient execution of elections.”