3 ex-HC chief justices, 1 state election commissioner opposed simultaneous polls: Kovind report
New Delhi, Sep 18: Three former high court chief justices and one former state election commissioner were among those who objected to the idea of 'one nation, one election' during the consultations by a high-level committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind.
However, all four former Supreme Court chief justices -- Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justice U U Lalit -- the committee consulted provided written responses which were in favour of holding simultaneous elections, according to the Kovind panel's report.
The report accepted by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday has recommended simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
Among the former chief justices of high courts, nine supported simultaneous elections, highlighting their potential benefits while three raised concerns or objections. Former Delhi High Court chief justice Ajit Prakash Shah opposed the concept of simultaneous elections, noting it may curb democratic expression along with concerns about 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.
Former Calcutta High Court chief justice Girish Chandra Gupta opposed simultaneous polls, saying the idea is not conducive to the principles of democracy.
"Justice Sanjib Banerjee, former Chief Justice, Madras High Court opposed simultaneous elections due to concerns that it would undermine India's federal structure and be prejudicial to regional issues.
"He cited empirical data showing frequent midterm state elections, emphasising 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 former chief election commissioners, who were consulted by the panel, favoured simultaneous elections.
Amongst present and former state election commissioners consulted by the panel, seven endorsed the idea while former Tamil Nadu Election Commissioner V Palanikumar, expressed concerns.
"One primary concern emphasised 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, emphasising the imperative of bolstering staff to ensure the seamless and efficient execution of elections," it added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
