4 ex-SC chief justices supported simultaneous elections, 3 ex-HC chief justices among those who opposed: Kovind panel report

The high-level committee report headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind revealed that four former Supreme court chief justices showed support for simultaneous elections, while three former High Court chief justices and one former state election commissioner were among those against the idea of 'one nation, one election' during the consultations. 

A total of nine former chief justices of major HCs supported simultaneous elections, highlighting their potential benefits while three raised concerns or objections. 

Former Delhi High Court chief justice Ajit Prakash Shah opposed the proposal of simultaneous elections, underlining the fact that it may curb democratic expression. His concerns also extended to distorted voting patterns and state-level political alterations.

"Additionally, he said that simultaneous elections hinder political accountability, as fixed terms offer representatives unwarranted stability without performance scrutiny, challenging democratic principles," the report noted.

According to the report, all four former Supreme Court chief justices -- Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justice UU Lalit -- the panel consulted provided written responses, all of which were in favour of holding simultaneous elections.

The panel in its report submitted to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday, recommended simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronized local body polls within 100 days.

Former Calcutta High Court chief justice Girish Chandra Gupta and Former Madras High Court, chief justice Sanjib Banerjee opposed simultaneous polls, saying the idea is not conducive to India’ democracy and federal structure.

"Justice Sanjib Banerjee cited empirical data showing frequent midterm state elections, emphasizing the importance of allowing people to exercise their choices. He suggested state funding of elections as a more effective reform to tackle corruption and inefficiency," the report said.

All four previous chief election commissioners, who were consulted by the panel, favored simultaneous elections.

Amongst present and former state election commissioners consulted by the panel, seven favored the idea while Tamil Nadu Election Commissioner V Palanikumar, expressed concerns.

"One primary concern emphasized was the pervasive dominance of national issues over local considerations during elections. The Commissioner expressed apprehension that this trend could potentially dilute the focus on region-specific challenges and diminish the efficacy of local governance," the report noted.

"Furthermore, the Commissioner highlighted the acute issue of a shortage in electoral manpower, emphasizing the imperative of bolstering staff to ensure the seamless and efficient execution of elections," it added.

(With PTI inputs)