Holding simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies is a solution to prevent the country from being in constant election mode, the Law Commission said on Thursday in its draft report and recommended changes in the constitution and the electoral law to hold the mammoth exercise.
As a first option, the Law Commission recommended elections to twelve state assemblies and one union territory (with legislature), could be synchronised with the elections to the Lok Sabha in the year 2019.
The draft said elections to the legislative assemblies of five states, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Telangana are due with the elections to the Lok Sabha and, therefore, stand synchronised.
The Law Commission said if there is political will, and consensus is arrived at, elections to four state assemblies, namely, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Delhi (union territory with legislature), can also be held along with the Lok Sabha and the five states, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Telangana, in 2019, subject their voluntarily agreeing to take recourse to Article 172(1).
"In case of the other four states, namely, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Rajasthan, where elections are due in early January of 2019 (Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan) and end of 2018 (Mizoram), extension of up to six months is required to attain synchronisation with the elections to the Lok Sabha in 2019, which will entail amendment to Article 172 of the constitution," the report said.
But the 171-page draft report pointed that holding simultaneous elections in 2019 will be impracticable for the remaining 16 states and Puducherry (union territory with legislature).
(With inputs from PTI)