Law seeks EC response to over 20 queries raised by JPC on joint polls

Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal had introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty–Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 successful the Lok Sabha connected December 17.

The 2 Bills would supply for syncing the presumption of the Lok Sabha and authorities and Union Territory assemblies, paving the mode for simultaneous elections. The 2 Bills were referred to a JPC.

Besides questions connected logistics specified arsenic the request of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and existent expenditure and existent savings, the letter, it is learned, seeks clarification connected however the EC volition behaviour polls simultaneously for a ample fig of Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies implicit 8 hours.

There are questions connected what effect the projected law amendments would person connected the relation of EC; however simultaneous elections would code the contented of mid-term polls oregon bye-elections triggering impositions of the Model Code of Conduct—and whether these would inactive disrupt governance and decision the intent of holding each elections together.

Given that the Centre is the premier mover down simultaneous polls, the missive besides has a question connected concerns expressed by JPC members connected its interaction connected determination politics, with apprehensions that this could pb to governmental apathy and indifference among determination parties affecting section governmental dynamics and taste ethos.

Also, if irregularities are detected astatine a polling booth during simultaneous elections, would re-polling beryllium required for some Assembly and parliamentary elections astatine that booth?

The Indian Express has learned that the accusation has been sought from EC truthful that the Law Ministry tin past hole a written effect and taxable it to the JPC. While the adjacent gathering of the JPC is yet to beryllium announced, it is apt to beryllium held by the extremity of the month.

This isn’t the archetypal clip the Law Ministry has asked the EC for its inputs connected simultaneous elections. In March 2023, the 22nd Law Ministry had sent a questionnaire to the canvass sheet connected behalf of the Law Commission, which besides studied the request and logistics of simultaneous polls, but did not people its study earlier its word ended successful 2024.

At that time, the EC had told the Law Commission that it would request astatine slightest Rs 8,000 crore for procuring EVMs, portion the outgo of transportation, warehousing, first-level checking etc. would beryllium additional.

Following this, past year, the Law Ministry had reached retired to the EC again, but this clip connected behalf of the High-Level Committee (HLC) headed by erstwhile president Ram Nath Kovind connected the aforesaid issue. Although the HLC has sought a gathering with the EC, it didn’t hap and the latter, instead, submitted the aforesaid reply to the HLC that it had provided to the Law Commission’s queries the erstwhile year.

The 2 Bills introduced by the Union Law Minister during the past wintertime league are based connected the study of the HLC which submitted its last study to President Droupadi Murmu successful March 2024.

As per the Constitution amendment Bill, 3 Articles are projected to beryllium amended and a caller Article 82A volition beryllium inserted.

Article 82A provides for holding simultaneous elections aft the “appointed date” to beryllium notified by the President connected the archetypal sitting of the Lok Sabha station an election. All Assemblies being elected aft this appointed date, which volition beryllium day of the archetypal sitting of the Lok Sabha, volition person their word curtailed to extremity with the word of that Lok Sabha. After that, the Lok Sabha and authorities Assemblies volition person simultaneous elections. The Bill besides says that if a legislature is dissolved sooner than the afloat term, past mid-term elections would beryllium held for the remainder of the full-term.

Although the canvass watchdog has ever been connected committee with conducting each elections simultaneously, successful 2015, erstwhile the Parliamentary Standing Committee connected Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice asked for its inputs connected the issue, the EC had highlighted immoderate “difficulties”.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee’s study said: “The main contented highlighted by them is that simultaneous behaviour of elections would necessitate large-scale acquisition of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. For conducting simultaneous elections, the Commission expects that a full of Rs 9,284.15 crore volition beryllium needed for procurement of EVMs and VVPATs. The machines would besides request to beryllium replaced each 15 years which would again entail expenditure. Further, storing these machines would summation the warehousing cost.”