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.
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Gambhir has a lot of experience, I am sure he will do great: Dravid
New Delhi (PTI): Former India head coach Rahul Dravid is expecting his successor Gautam Gambhir to do a "great" job with the national team.
Dravid was speaking to select media at the launch of 'Digital Classroom' provider' 'Roombr" here on Thursday.
Former India opener Gambhir began his coaching tenure with the tour of Sri Lanka in July-August.
"He (Gambhir) has got a lot of experience, as a player also he has played a lot, he obviously coached quite a bit. I am sure he will be great," said Dravid, who coached India to the T20 World Cup title in June.
"In any situation everyone brings his own experience and knowledge to the table. I am sure the team will benefit from everything that Gautam brings to them with his team," he added.
Under Dravid, the Indian team also reached the final of ODI World Cup and World Test Championship.
India begin their Test season under Gambhir on Thursday. The team will be playing 10s Test over the next four months including two against Bangladesh, three against New Zealand before travelling to Australia for a five match series.
