Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram has strongly opposed the proposal to hold Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously, calling the initiative “monstrous”, “unconstitutional” and “thoughtless”.
Chidambaram presented his views before the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Law (Amendment) Bill, 2024, according to sources.
Chidambaram calls bills unconstitutional
The Congress leader argued that both bills related to simultaneous elections are unconstitutional. He said the Constitution provides a five-year term for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies and that reducing their tenure would violate the basic structure of the Constitution.
According to sources, Chidambaram told the committee that his conscience did not allow him to support the proposed legislation. He also argued that the government does not have the two-thirds majority required to pass the bills.
Trinamool Congress MP and committee member Sagarika Ghosh also opposed the proposal. She said it could give “unbridled” powers to the Election Commission.
Padma awardees divided over proposal
Around 10 Padma awardees also appeared before the committee, headed by BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary. Those who gave their views included Tarlochan Singh, Naveen Khanna, Meenakshi Jain and Neeru Kumar.
The awardees were divided over the proposal. While some supported simultaneous elections, others opposed it, warning that the move could lead to “anarchy” in the country.
Bills introduced in Lok Sabha in December 2024
The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Law (Amendment) Bill were introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2024. They were subsequently referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for detailed examination.
The bills were drafted based on recommendations made by a high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind. The panel had recommended holding elections to the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies and local bodies simultaneously in a phased manner. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also a member of the Kovind-led panel.
Lok Sabha, Assembly elections were held together until 1967
India held simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies from 1951 to 1967. The first general elections in 1951-52 were conducted simultaneously for Parliament and state Assemblies. The same system continued during the 1957, 1962 and 1967 elections.
The cycle was disrupted after some state Assemblies were dissolved prematurely in 1968 and 1969. The Fourth Lok Sabha was also dissolved before completing its term in 1970, leading to fresh elections in 1971.
The first three Lok Sabhas completed their full five-year terms. However, the term of the Fifth Lok Sabha was extended until 1977 during the Emergency under Article 352.
Since then, only a few Lok Sabhas, including the Eighth, Tenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth, completed their full five-year terms. The Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth Lok Sabhas were dissolved prematurely.
Several state Assemblies have also witnessed premature dissolution or extensions of their terms over the years. These developments gradually ended the system of simultaneous elections and resulted in the staggered election schedule followed in India today.
