Kovind led panel recommends simultaneous polls
The high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind has recommended that the government take a “one-time transitory measure”, which would require the Union government to identify an “appointed date” immediately after a Lok Sabha election and all state assemblies that go to poll after the said date would have their terms expire with the Parliament.
This would synchronise the electoral cycles of the central and state governments and bring back simultaneous elections.
Then, as the second step, municipality and panchayat elections should be held within 100 days of the Lok Sabha and state elections.
According to sources, if the new government elected after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls accepts the Kovind committee’s recommendation and immediately initiates the process, the first simultaneous polls could be held as early as 2029.
During this transition period, all states with elections due between June 2024 and May 2029 would see their terms expire alongside the 18th Lok Sabha.
Consequently, some state assemblies would have terms of less than five years as a one-time measure to facilitate this synchronisation.