Law Panel Might Add Chapter To Constitution, Call For Simultaneous Polls In 2029

Sources said today that the Law Commission is expected to recommend by mid-2029 adding a new chapter on 'one nation, one election' to the Constitution and organizing the massive democratic exercise of simultaneous polling for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies across the nation.
According to sources who spoke with Press Trust of India, the Commission, led by Justice (retired) Ritu Raj Awasthi, would suggest amending the Constitution to include a "new chapter or part" on simultaneous elections.Additionally, the panel would suggest synchronizing the terms of legislative assemblies in "three phases" over the course of the following five years, in order to hold the first simultaneous polls in May or June of 2029, which is when the 19th Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to take place.The explanation given was that the new chapter in the Constitution would cover topics such as "simultaneous election", "sustainability of simultaneous elections", and "common electoral roll" for the Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, panchayats, and municipalities. This would allow for the holding of the three-tier simultaneous polls "in one go".

The proposed new chapter will have the "power of non-extant" to supersede other Constitutional clauses pertaining to assembly terms.

The synchronization of assembly terms will occur over a five-year period divided into three phases. According to the Commission's recommendation, the first phase could address state assemblies, whose duration would need to be shortened by three or six months.