Law panel examines to hold joint elections in 2 phases

New Delhi: The Law Commission, looking into the issue of holding simultaneous elections in the country, may examine the possibility of carrying out the three-tier democratic exercise in two phases in a single year, sources have said.

In the first phase, Lok Sabha and assembly polls can be held and in the second phase, local body polls can be organised, they said, citing one of the formulae the law panel may consider for the simultaneous elections issue. This, the sources said, is a practical approach keeping in mind the varied climatic conditions of the country.

In August 2018, the previous Law Commission had endorsed the Narendra Modi government's proposal to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, saying it will prevent the country from being in constant election mode.

However, it had sought further public discourse on the issue before arriving at a final decision. The present law panel under Justice (retd) Ritu Raj Awasthi is finalising its report on holding assembly and Lok Sabha polls together. But the high-level committee on 'One Nation, One Election' under former president Ram Nath Kovind has been tasked with recommending how Lok Sabha, assembly and local body polls (panchayat, municipalities, zila parishad) can be held together.

Keeping in mind the terms of reference of the Kovind-led panel, the Law Commission has enhanced the ambit of its study to include holding local body polls along with national and state elections.