Centre mulling single voters list for Lok Sabha, state Assembly and local body elections

Ahead of the Bihar polls, the Central government has discussed the possibility of having a common electoral roll for Lok Sabha, assembly and local body elections to avoid discrepancies and bring uniformity in the voters list, reported news agency PTI quoting officials of Prime Minister's office on Saturday.

At present, the Election Commission prepares the electoral roll or voter list for Lok Sabha and assembly polls. The state election commissions, which are altogether separate bodies as per constitutional provisions, hold elections for local bodies such as municipalities and panchayats in their respective states based on their own voter lists.

In what may be called a move towards 'one nation one election', the Centre is exploring the possibility of having a single voter list for Lok Sabha, assembly and local body polls as this can help bring in uniformity. Centre also is of the opinion that it will save costs involved in making separate voter lists. It is to be noted here that the ruling BJP has in its 2019 election manifesto promised simultaneous elections for Parliament, State assemblies and local bodies by introducing the single voter list for all elections. 

However, when asked whether the proposed single electoral roll was linked to the idea of holding simultaneous elections, PTI quoted a government official saying that the two are not linked as simultaneous polls typically refer to holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls together in the Indian context.

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Earlier this month, the Prime Minister's Office organised a meeting on the issue where top officials of the Law Ministry and the EC gave their views on the present status and the future possibilities. However, when asked whether the proposed single electoral roll was linked to the idea of holding simultaneous elections, a government official said the two are not linked as simultaneous polls typically refer to holding Lok Sabha and assembly polls together in the Indian context. The Election Commission, the Law Commission and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Personnel Ministries have supported the idea of a single voter list in the past also.

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Bihar Polls

This comes right before the assembly elections in Bihar scheduled in October- November. While COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the state, the Election Commission has issued a notification to conduct election while practicing social distancing norms. moreover, the Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking deferment of polls calling it 'premature.' While the EC is yet to announce the exact date of the assembly polls, it seems clear that elections will take place in October-November.

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(with PTI inputs)