Overview

• On August 11, the JPC chaired by BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary heard five academics and former lawmakers who argued that synchronizing Lok Sabha and state polls would strengthen governance
• Witnesses told the committee that frequent, staggered elections foster corruption, trigger policy paralysis under the Model Code of Conduct and disrupt services such as school operations
• Experts recommended complementary measures including stricter party registration guidelines, candidate performance report cards, action taken reports on manifestos and stronger provisions for women’s representation
• Panelists asserted that simultaneous elections would not erode federalism but identified unresolved constitutional and drafting challenges that need clarity
• Chaudhary scheduled the next JPC sitting for August 19 to receive legal testimony from former Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna on the ONOE proposal