Ex-President Kovind to explore ONOE

New Delhi: A day after announcing a "special session" of Parliament, the government on Friday constituted a committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind to explore the feasibility of "one nation, one election" (ONOE), opening the possibility of Lok Sabha polls being advanced so that they could be held with a string of state assembly elections.

The move caught opposition bloc INDIA, holding their conclave in Mumbai, by surprise and further raised the political heat. The opposition alliance slammed the decision as a "threat" to the country's federal structure. Meanwhile, arrangements are also being made for group photos of MPs during the "special session" of Parliament from September 18-22, sparking another set of speculation as such a picture is generally taken at the beginning or end of the Parliament term.

Sources said on Friday that Kovind will explore the feasibility of the exercise and the mechanism to see how the country can go back to having simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, as was the case till 1967. He is expected to speak to experts and may also consult leaders of different political parties, they said.

While the government has kept the agenda of the session under wraps, its move has come amid indications that the "special session" could be the last meeting of the 17th Lok Sabha and general elections can be advanced.