NEW DELHI: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining bills seeking to introduce simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies is unlikely to submit its report during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, according to sources.
Though the Lok Sabha had extended the tenure of the panel until the last day of the monsoon session, the committee is yet to complete its nationwide consultations and is expected to seek more time before finalising its recommendations, sources privy to the developments said.
The delay is significant amid speculation that the Centre is keen to push crucial constitutional amendment bills such as delimitation exercise and the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill during the monsoon session, expected to begin in the third week of July.
The 39-member JPC led by BJP MP P P Chaudhary, is currently reviewing the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2024, was sent to the Joint Committee of both Houses for further examination.
The Centre has maintained that holding simultaneous elections would reduce the financial burden of frequent polls, minimise disruptions caused by the Model Code of Conduct and enable governments to focus on governance. However, Opposition parties have raised concerns over its impact the on federal structure and the constitutional rights of states.
According to sources, the government is actively exploring the possibility of coupling the delimitation bill with the simultaneous elections proposal to maximise political support and legislative momentum for its ambitious projects.
In the previous Budget session, the constitutional amendment linking delimitation to the women’s reservation bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha by a united Opposition.
The government, however, is keen to pass the delimitation bill to implement women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha ahead of the 2029 general election.The NDA will need 360 to get a two-thirds majority in a House of 540 members.
‘Simultaneous polls unlikely before 2034’
The JPC, which will visit the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday to interact with stakeholders, has so far visited 10 states.
Consultations with several other states are pending. The panel chairman has hinted that even if the legislative process is completed, simultaneous elections are unlikely before 2034
