The chairman of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation, One Election’, P P Chaudhary, stated in Gandhinagar on Thursday that voters possess sufficient intelligence to differentiate between issues pertaining to assembly and Lok Sabha elections and are capable of deciding their vote if elections are conducted simultaneously.
Responding to concerns that simultaneous elections might overshadow state-specific and local governance issues with national narratives, Chaudhary remarked, “Voters today are even more informed. They know whom to vote for if elections are held simultaneously. Their critical thinking ability should not be underestimated. Voters know exactly which party to support based on the issue at hand in Lok Sabha, assembly or local body elections.”
The JPC concluded its three-day visit to the state on Thursday. On the final day of consultations at GIFT City in Gandhinagar, the panel engaged with advocates, NGOs, industrial associations, educationists, and members of civil society. During the discussions, representatives from industry bodies such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Assocham, and the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) expressed support for the proposal. A representative of CII suggested that migrant workers should be provided with e-voting facilities, noting that industries suffer production losses during elections because laborers often return to their native places to vote.
Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor Neerja Gupta also supported the proposal while raising concerns related to disruption of academic schedules during frequent elections. She informed the committee that university examinations are often affected because teaching and administrative staff are deployed for election duties.
In response to a question about the scenario in Gujarat if Lok Sabha and state assembly polls are held simultaneously, Chaudhary said that if the law is passed in 2029, the next assembly election in Gujarat will be held in 2034. “The next assembly election in Gujarat will be held in 2027, and if the law comes into force in 2029, then Gujarat will go to polls simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls of 2034,” he explained.
He added that the representation made by the Gujarat government had been the most comprehensive so far and that he had asked the state chief secretary to provide a detailed report that could be used as a reference for other states.
