| | A high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday unanimously backed simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies, state and local tiers and called for a raft of constitutional amendments to achieve the goal, potentially setting the stage for the far-reaching but controversial reform that can reshape the world’s largest democracy. The eight-member committee submitted its 18,626 page-long report to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday morning, outlining a phased approach to synchronise elections, beginning first with Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, and following up with local body polls within 100 days. | | | THE BIG STORY Kovind-led panel backs ‘one nation, one election’ A high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday unanimously backed simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies, state and local tiers and called for a raft of constitutional amendments to achieve the goal, potentially setting the stage for the far-reaching but controversial reform that can reshape the world’s largest democracy. “Simultaneous polls will help save resources, spur development and social cohesion, deepen the foundations of democratic rubric and help realise the aspirations of India, that is Bharat,” the report said. Read more. | THE BIG QUESTION What data has EC shared in two documents? A Tamil Nadu-based lottery firm and an Andhra Pradesh-based infrastructure company were among the top donors to political parties through electoral bonds bought between April 2019 and February 2024, data uploaded by the Election Commission of India (EC) on Thursday evening showed, a day before the deadline set by the Supreme Court in the high-profile case playing out weeks before general elections. Read more. | | | STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED | FROM THE FIELD Two new ECs selected amid dissent in meeting The President on Thursday appointed retired bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as election commissioners after a high-level selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in the morning — the first time that election commissioners have been chosen under a controversial new law just weeks before Lok Sabha polls. The appointments came days after the retirement of one EC, Anup Chandra Pandey, and the surprise resignation of another, Arun Goel, left India’s poll watchdog with just the chief election commissioner, Rajiv Kumar. Read more. | Photo of the Day Peepal watching | Were you forwarded this email? Did you stumble upon it online? Sign up here. | | | | | | | | | Get the Hindustan Times app and read premium stories | | | | | | View in Browser | Privacy Policy | Contact us You received this email because you signed up for HT Newsletters or because it is included in your subscription. Copyright © HT Digital Streams. All Rights Reserved | | | | |
