India could save Rs 7 lakh crore through simultaneous polls, says JPC chief
India could save nearly Rs 7 lakh crore and potentially boost GDP by 1.6 per cent if elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies are held simultaneously, Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) chairman PP Chaudhary said on Tuesday, making a case for the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ framework.
Chaudhary, who heads the 41-member parliamentary panel examining the proposal, was speaking after a meeting with Gujarat government officials in Gandhinagar’s GIFT City during the committee’s three-day visit to the State.
The JPC, constituted to scrutinise the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, held discussions with senior bureaucrats, including Chief Secretary M.K. Das, BJP representatives, and secretaries of various departments.
Following the meeting, Chaudhary said the State government had offered detailed inputs on aspects that had not been examined earlier.
“We have instructed them to prepare a comprehensive report, which can subsequently be followed as a role model by other state governments across India so that they submit their reports in that format,” he said.
The report, he said, should assess the likely impact of simultaneous elections on sectors including industry, labour migration, employment, GST collections, tourism, education, and the broader economy.
“A comprehensive report should be submitted by the chief secretary for further consideration and action. Today’s discussions were extremely positive and constructive,” Chaudhary said.
Highlighting the economic rationale behind the proposal, he said, “Economists also said that this could increase GDP by 1.6 per cent. If simultaneous elections are held, the country could save Rs 7 lakh crore. That money could be used for infrastructure, welfare of the poor, education, healthcare, and other public welfare works.”