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.”
Referring to the Centre’s push for electoral reform, Chaudhary said, “Prime Minister Modi's vision is that election reforms should benefit the nation. He constituted a committee under the leadership of Ram Nath Kovind. In its report, this committee also recommended simultaneous elections.”
He added that concerns relating to constitutional principles had been addressed during consultations. “Six former chief justices of India told the committee that there is no violation of any kind regarding the federal structure, basic structure, or fundamental rights,” he said.
Chaudhary said that the Kovind committee submitted an extensive report of nearly 18,000 pages, which was accepted by the government and recommended synchronised Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The report also proposed holding panchayat and municipal elections within 100 days of the national and State polls.
“This reform would minimise the cycle of continuous elections and allow governments to dedicate more time and resources to governance, development, poverty alleviation, education, healthcare, and overall national progress,” he said.
Earlier, on arrival in Ahmedabad, Chaudhary said the proposal had found support in reports by the Law Commission and policy papers of NITI Aayog, as well as a Parliamentary Standing Committee comprising members from different political parties.
The panel has previously visited Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Karnataka as part of its consultations.
“Our endeavour is to listen to everyone and take all viewpoints into account. When we submit our recommendations to Parliament, our primary objective will be to ensure that a broad consensus has emerged among all stakeholders,” Chaudhary added.
(With inputs from PTI)