The Union law ministry has sent 20 questions to the Election Commission asked by a joint parliamentary committee about several aspects of conducting simultaneous elections, including potential savings and how the poll panel intends to handle polling irregularities, The Indian Express reported.

On December 17, the Union government introduced two bills in Parliament. The bills would enable the conduct of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the state Assemblies.

The joint parliamentary committee is holding consultations on the draft legislations and had its first meeting on January 8, the newspaper reported. The questions were sent by the Union law ministry to the Election Commission in the week following the meeting.

The letter sent to the Election Commission asked questions about the logistics of holding “one nation, one election”, including the number of Electronic Voting Machines that would be needed, the costs involved and the potential savings from simultaneous elections.

The parliamentary panel also sought clarity on how the Election Commission plans to manage polling across Assembly constituencies and Lok Sabha seats within an eight-hour period, The Indian Express reported.

Additionally, the letter asked how the proposed constitutional changes might affect the poll body’s role and how it would handle the challenges posed by mid-term elections or bye-elections, especially in terms of imposing the Model Code of Conduct.

The code is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission that the government, political parties and candidates must follow during an election. It sets guardrails for speeches, campaigning, meetings, processions, election manifestos and other aspects of the polls.

The joint parliamentary committee also raised concerns about the potential impact of simultaneous elections on regional politics and federalism given that the Union government is driving the initiative.

The committee also mentioned its concerns about the possibility of “political apathy and indifference among regional parties affecting local political dynamics and cultural ethos”, The Indian Express reported.

The information provided by the poll panel is expected to shape the law ministry’s submission to the joint parliamentary committee, which is likely to meet again later this month, the newspaper reported.

In 2023 too, the law ministry had asked questions to the Election Commission regarding the “one nation, one election” plan. At the time, it was reportedly found that the exercise would require a minimum of Rs 8,000 crore only to acquire Electronic Voting Machines, excluding costs related to transportation, storage and initial checks.

A timeline for the implementation of simultaneous elections, if the bills are passed by Parliament, is not clear.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has been pushing for simultaneous elections, arguing that holding the Lok Sabha and the state polls at different times is a burden on the government, businesses, courts, political parties, contesting candidates and civil society.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a vocal advocate of the “one nation, one election” plan since 2014.

The Opposition parties have criticised the government, saying that it has acted unilaterally in taking steps to implement the plan.

The Congress had said in September 2023 that the proposal goes against the basic structure of the Constitution. The proposal is based on the idea that the entire country is “one but this contradicts Article 1, which envisages India as a ‘Union of States’”.