NEW DELHI, Jan 17 : Former president and head of the high-level committee on ‘one nation, one election’ Ram Nath Kovind has started holding deliberations with former chief election commissioners and retired judges on the issue of holding simultaneous polls.
His meetings come days after the panel sought views of the public on the issue.
On Wednesday, Kovind met Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, former chief justice of the Madras High Court here.
“Continuing with the deliberations this afternoon, the chairman of the HLC held discussions with Justice Gorla Rohini, former chief justice of the Delhi High Court and former CEC Sushil Chandra, an official statement said.
The consultation process will continue in the coming days, it noted.
The committee has already sought suggestions and considered viewsof the general public and political parties on the issue.
Eminent jurists, including former chief justices of the Supreme Court and the high courts, constitutional experts and former CECs among others have also been approached for their views.
The committee has so far held two meetings since it was constituted in September last year. It had also recently written to political parties seeking their views and an interaction on a “mutually agreed date” on the idea of holding simultaneous polls. It had later sent a reminder to the parties.
Letters were sent to six national parties, 33 state parties and seven registered unrecognised parties.
The committee has also heard the views of the Law Commission on simultaneous polls. The law panel could be called again on the issue.
According to its terms of reference, the committee is meant to “examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the House of the People (Lok Sabha), State Legislative Assemblies, municipalities and panchayats, keeping in view the existing framework under the Constitution and other statutory provisions, and for that purpose, examine and recommend specific amendments to the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the rules made thereunder and any other law or rules which would require amendments for the purpose of holding simultaneous elections”.( PTI)
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