Overview

• Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema called the proposal a direct assault on India’s constitutional spirit and cautioned it would encourage misuse of Articles 356 and 360.
• Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said synchronizing polls would require cutting short or extending assembly terms mid-cycle and betray voters.
• Shiromani Akali Dal delegates led by Dr Daljit Singh Cheema and Balwinder Singh Bhundar urged the JPC to repeal Article 356 and opposed Article 82A clause 5 empowering the Election Commission to defer state elections.
• Delegations from AAP, Congress and SAD warned that holding simultaneous national and state elections would marginalize regional parties and undermine local issues.
• The Joint Parliamentary Committee will compile feedback from state stakeholders in Punjab before finalizing its recommendations to Parliament.