One Nation One Election: The 129th Amendment Bill, Kovind Committee and Status

India votes almost every year. Some state goes to the polls every few months, and the Lok Sabha election follows its own five-year cycle. One Nation One Election, officially called simultaneous elections, would bring the Lok Sabha and all state assembly elections onto a single schedule. The government has introduced two bills to do this, and a Joint Parliamentary Committee is examining them. Here is how the plan works and where it stands.

Quick facts

Item	Details
High-Level Committee	Chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, set up 2 September 2023, report submitted 14 March 2024
Cabinet approval of recommendations	18 September 2024
Bills	Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024
Introduced in Lok Sabha	17 December 2024
Joint Parliamentary Committee chair	P.P. Chaudhary
Current deadline for JPC report	First day of the last week of the Winter Session, 2026

A short history of simultaneous polls

India’s first four general elections, in 1951-52, 1957, 1962 and 1967, were held together with most state assembly elections. The cycle broke in 1968 and 1969 when several assemblies were dissolved early, and in 1970 the Lok Sabha itself was dissolved a year ahead of schedule. Since then, elections have been spread out. The Election Commission in 1983, the Law Commission in its 170th report in 1999, a parliamentary standing committee in 2015 and a NITI Aayog discussion paper in 2017 all suggested returning to a common cycle.

What the Kovind committee recommended

• Hold simultaneous elections in two steps: first the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies together, then municipalities and panchayats within 100 days of the first round.
• Amend the Constitution to create an appointed date from which the terms of assemblies are aligned with the Lok Sabha.
• If the Lok Sabha or an assembly is dissolved early, or there is a hung House, hold a fresh election only for the remaining part of the five-year term.
• Prepare a single electoral roll and a single elector photo identity card, in consultation with state election commissions.
• Plan in advance for EVMs, VVPATs, polling staff and security forces.

What the 129th Amendment Bill does

• New Article 82A: the President notifies an appointed date at the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election. Every state assembly elected after that date will end its term together with the Lok Sabha.
• Unexpired term: if the Lok Sabha or an assembly is dissolved before completing five years, the new House serves only for the remaining period, so the common cycle is not disturbed.
• Deferral power: the Election Commission can recommend that an assembly election be held later than the others if simultaneous polling is not possible, but that assembly’s term will still end with the Lok Sabha’s.
• Amendments to Articles 83, 172 and 327: to fit the duration of Houses and Parliament’s power to make election laws into the new scheme.

The companion Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill makes the same changes for Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir. The bills do not cover municipalities and panchayats. Changes for local bodies would need a separate amendment, which may require ratification by half the states.

When could simultaneous elections start?

Under the bill as introduced, the appointed date would be notified at the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after the next general election, which is due in 2029. Assemblies elected after that would have their terms cut short to match. On that reading, the first fully simultaneous election would be in 2034. Some members of the JPC have spoken about an earlier start, but that would need changes to the bill. Nothing is final until the committee reports and Parliament passes the bills with a two-thirds majority of members present and voting and a majority of the total membership in each House.

Where the Joint Parliamentary Committee stands

The bills were introduced after a division in the Lok Sabha, with 269 votes in favour and 198 against, and then referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The committee has met former judges, former Chief Election Commissioners, economists, legal experts, state governments and political parties, and has made study visits to several states. Its tenure was extended in March 2026 to the Monsoon Session and again on 30 July 2026, when the Lok Sabha asked it to report by the first day of the last week of the Winter Session, 2026.

Arguments in favour

• Lower costs: one round of elections instead of many, with savings for the Election Commission, parties and candidates.
• Less disruption to governance: the Model Code of Conduct freezes new schemes and decisions during elections, and frequent polls mean it is in force somewhere most of the year.
• Better use of security forces and staff: teachers and officials would be taken away from their regular work less often.
• Higher turnout: supporters argue that voters are more likely to turn out once for all elections.

Arguments against

• Federalism: cutting short or extending state assembly terms to fit the national cycle affects the autonomy of states, which critics say is part of the Constitution’s basic structure.
• National issues crowding out local ones: some studies suggest voters tend to choose the same party at both levels when elections are held together, which could favour national parties.
• Accountability: a government that falls midway would be replaced for only a short remaining term, and frequent elections are also a way of holding governments to account.
• Logistics: the Election Commission would need a large number of additional EVMs and VVPATs, storage and staff, at a significant one-time cost.

Why it matters for exam preparation

The topic is regularly asked in UPSC and state PSC papers under polity and governance. Remember the key numbers: Kovind committee report in March 2024, 129th Amendment Bill introduced on 17 December 2024, proposed Article 82A, and the 100-day window for local body elections.

Sources

• Report of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, March 2024
• Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, as introduced in Lok Sabha
• Lok Sabha motions extending the JPC’s tenure, 18 March 2026 and 30 July 2026 (All India Radio News)
• Law Commission of India, 170th Report on Reform of the Electoral Laws, 1999

Last updated: 23 September 2026.