Padma Awardees Back Simultaneous Polls With Added Safeguards

A coalition of Padma awardees has signaled support for the government’s "One Nation, One Election" proposal, telling a Joint Parliamentary Committee that synchronizing federal and state polls serves the national interest, provided the legislative framework includes robust protections to maintain constitutional balance and democratic integrity.

Editorial·August 24, 2026·reads: 3,278

Padma Awardees Back Simultaneous Polls With Added Safeguards

PP Chaudhary, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) overseeing the reform, confirmed that the diverse panel of civil society representatives offered substantive feedback during their latest consultation. While the awardees generally favor the shift to simultaneous elections, their endorsement remains conditional on the development of rigorous safeguards to navigate the complexities of India's electoral cycle.

The committee, currently scrutinizing the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, is balancing these civil society perspectives against input from political figures, including Congress MP P. Chidambaram. The JPC is also evaluating the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, as it prepares its final recommendations for Parliament. The panel’s recent sessions have included testimony from policy experts at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and the Nation First organization, aiming to address the logistical and legal hurdles inherent in synchronizing Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.