Cabinet's approval to the proposal: 'One nation, one election' planned from 2029

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal for 'one nation, one Election from 2029' as recommended by the Kovind panel, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.

The report of the high-level committee on 'one nation, one election' was placed before the Union Cabinet on Wednesday. The panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind had submitted the report in March ahead of the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. Vaishnaw said the report was approved unanimously.

The panel also recommended the preparation of a common electoral roll and voter ID cards by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in consultation with state election authorities.

At present, the ECI is responsible for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, while the local body polls for municipalities and panchayats are managed by state election commissions.

The panel recommended as many as 18 constitutional amendments, most of which will not need ratification by state Assemblies. However, these would require certain Constitution amendment Bills that would need to be passed by Parliament.

Some proposed changes regarding the single electoral roll and single voter ID card would need ratification by at least half of the states. However, making this a reality will require two-third of Parliament to side with the BJP, since the proposed system involves amending the Constitution at least six times. The BJP-led centre has a simple majority in both Houses, but is short of that two-thirds mark - by 52 votes in the Rajya Sabha and 72 in the Lok Sabha. It then has to be ratified by all states and UTs.