NEW DELHI: The central government has established a new committee to study the issue of ‘One Country, One Election.’ This move by the Centre follows rumours that a special session of Parliament may be convened from the 18th to the 22nd of this month to legislate for an election. It has been reported that former President Ram Nath Kovind will chair the committee. There are also reports that retired judges will be part of the committee. However, no official explanation has been provided regarding this matter.

The objective of the Centre is to facilitate the synchronization of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections through the ‘One Country, One Election’ Bill. Politically, there is an assessment that the NDA's agenda is to schedule the general elections slated for the middle of next year along with the 12 assembly elections over this year and the next to maximize benefits. The inauguration of the Sri Rama temple in Ayodhya is planned for January. It is also estimated that such an election could lead to a consolidation of the Hindu vote. ‘One Country, One Election’ has consistently been a slogan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The rationale behind this is that combining the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections could result in cost reduction. A parliamentary panel had previously examined the feasibility of holding a single election in conjunction with the Election Commission.

Opposition leaders also believe that Lok Sabha elections might take place in December or January. Coincidentally, on the same day that the opposition front 'India' commenced its meeting in Mumbai, hints about the bill surfaced.

It is believed that the haste in calling for the special session is driven by objectives such as preventing the 'India' front from gaining strength and capitalizing on issues like Chandrayan, Aditya launches and the G20 summit to secure votes.

Assembly elections are scheduled in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Telangana later this year. The Lok Sabha elections are expected to take place within the following month of May. Elections are also due in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand next year. Elections could be held at any time in Jammu and Kashmir.