New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday welcomed the Cabinet nod for 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE), saying this will pave the way for a giant leap towards landmark electoral reforms in the country.
Taking to X, the Home Minister wrote: "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharat has been witnessing transformative reforms. Today, in this direction, Bharat takes a giant stride towards landmark electoral reforms with the Union Cabinet accepting the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on One Nation One Election."
The proposal for conducting simultaneous Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections under the ONOE and the recommendations of the former President Ram Nath Kovind-led panel were accepted by the Union Cabinet earlier in the day.
The committee headed by former President Kovind had submitted the report in March and was placed before the Cabinet on Wednesday, for getting its nod.
A Bill to the same effect is likely to be brought in the next session of Parliament.
Amit Shah further said that the ONOE clearance reflects PM Modi's iron will to bolster democracy through clean and financially efficient elections, adding it will accelerate economic growth through more productive allocation of resources.
BJP President J.P. Nadda also appreciated the move and said that this will go a long way in streamlining the electoral process.
"The current system of holding elections at different times across states hampers development efforts and burdens the national treasury. This landmark decision aims to streamline the electoral process and ensure better governance," J.P. Nadda said.
He further said that adopting "One Nation, One Election" will help lower election-related expenses and financial burden on the government.
Notably, the recommendations made by a high-level panel led by Ram Nath Kovind lays out a comprehensive roadmap for the implementation of simultaneous elections.
The panel has recommended conducting concurrent elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies as the first phase, to be followed by synchronised local body polls within a 100-day period.