JPC’s blueprint is ready, one country-one election system will be implemented in two phases!

• Preparation to hold elections in about 20 states along with Lok Sabha in 2029

New Delhi. The Central Government has started reshaping its strategy towards the biggest reform in the electoral system of the country after independence. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), formed to put the concept of ‘one country-one election’ on a practical level, is now working on such a transitional model, through which the entire country can be included in the common electoral cycle without any major political or constitutional conflict.

According to sources, the committee is inclined towards a two-phase model, which can pave the way for implementing this ambitious scheme without massive interference in the tenure of the state assemblies. According to the information, the format on which JPC has started serious brainstorming has been named ‘Two-Phase Transition Model’. The basic objective of this model is to organize the electoral calendar so that the country does not have to go through some electoral process every few months. The main goal of this initiative is also to reduce the impact of frequent elections on the administrative machinery, security forces and government schemes.

After the period of the committee has been extended till the monsoon session 2026, the work of finalizing the report has now intensified. It is expected that the JPC will present its recommendations before the Parliament in the last phase of the monsoon session. The report may include detailed suggestions for realignment of the electoral cycle, constitutional amendments, and limited adjustment of state tenure. Political experts believe that the government wants to move forward by creating a broad consensus on this issue so that the reform process becomes a matter of consensus rather than controversy. According to the proposed plan, the first phase can be implemented in the year 2029. Along with the Lok Sabha elections to be held at that time, it is also proposed to hold elections for the Legislative Assemblies of about 20 states of the country. For this, limited increase or decrease in the tenure of some states can be done, but the effort will be that there is no major impact on the democratic period of any state. This is the reason why this model is also being named ‘safe transition’.

In the second phase, a target has been set to include the remaining states in this electoral cycle by the year 2034. If this process is successful then elections for Lok Sabha and all the Legislative Assemblies in the country will be held almost simultaneously. This is expected to provide many benefits like reduction in election expenditure, better utilization of administrative resources and continuity in policy making.

In the initial decades in India, Lok Sabha and state elections were held simultaneously. After 1967, events like political instability in the states, premature fall of governments and subsequent premature dissolution of the Lok Sabha broke this electoral coordination. After this the country was permanently divided into different election cycles. The high-level panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind had also said in its comprehensive study that coordination of elections was beneficial for the democratic system.

Constitutional experts are of the opinion that a path for phased implementation can be found while remaining within the ambit of the Constitution. Now eyes are on the final report of the JPC. After the presentation of the report in Parliament, there will be extensive debate on it and the stance of political parties will decide how fast the country moves towards this major change in electoral history. If a consensus is reached, the year 2034 could mark the beginning of a new electoral era for Indian democracy.