The Ram Nath Kovind-led high level committee (HLC) on “One Nation One Election” has received over 20,000 responses from citizens and 81% of them have “affirmed” the idea of simultaneous polls, a Law Ministry statement said on Sunday.
The Ministry issued a press statement after the committee held its third meeting here and the next meeting will take place on January 27.
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“Altogether 20,972 responses were received out of which 81% affirmed the idea of simultaneous election,” the statement said.
Suggestions were also invited from 46 political parties and so far, 17 parties have responded. Recently, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had written to the panel, asking it to abandon the idea as it was “undemocratic and violative of the basic structure of the Constitution”.
EC’s views noted
The Law Ministry said the views of Election Commission were also noted by the committee.
“Additionally, the chairman of the HLC on simultaneous elections, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, has initiated consultations with eminent jurists, former Chief Justices of the Supreme Court and High Courts, former Chief Election Commissioners of India, heads of Bar Council of India, FICCI, ASSOCHAM and CII,” read the statement.
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Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, former Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Chairman, 15th Finance Commission, K.K. Singh, former Secretary-General, Lok Sabha, Subhash C. Kashyap, and Sanjay Kothari, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, were among those who attended the meeting.
Secretary of the HLC, Niten Chandra, briefed the panel about various follow-up actions on the decision taken at previous meetings.
