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Key Points

The Joint Parliamentary Committee kicks off its nationwide tour on May 17 in Maharashtra to gather public feedback about holding simultaneous elections. Chairman PP Chaudhary stressed transparency through multilingual ads and a dedicated website for submissions. The panel will consult legal experts including former Supreme Court justices during state visits. This comes after March meetings where MPs debated the feasibility of synchronizing state and national polls.

Key Points: JPC One Nation One Election Tour Begins in Maharashtra May 17

  • JPC to collect stakeholder views via multilingual ads and QR-enabled website
  • Maharashtra first stop followed by Uttarakhand, J&K, and Punjab
  • Transparency emphasized with public submissions and expert consultations
  • Supreme Court justices and legal experts to provide insights
3 min read

JPC all-states visit to begin from Maharashtra on May 17; to gather opinions on 'One Nation, One Election'

Joint Parliamentary Committee starts nationwide tour from Maharashtra to gather public opinions on simultaneous elections, covering 5 states by June.

"The committee believes it should visit all states and hear their opinions – PP Chaudhary, JPC Chairman"

By Suchitra Mukherjee, New Delhi, April 22

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) all-state visit on 'One Nation, One Election' will begin from Maharashtra on May 17, followed by Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh and Punjab.

Speaking to ANI, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on 'One Nation, One Election' PP Chaudhary on Tuesday said that Maharashtra will be covered first from May 17 to May 18.

"The committee believes that it should visit all states and hear their opinions, which is why the tour is being organised. Maharashtra will be covered first on May 17-18, then Uttarakhand between May 19 and 21. Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh (Punjab and Haryana) will be covered in June, according to different categories. Everyone will be heard, whether a celebrity, a sports person or anyone else, to know the thoughts of the people of the country, and will this be beneficial for the country?" he said.

Reacting to the website launch, PP Chaudhary said that there should be "transparency" and the entire Committee has agreed on this.

"There should be transparency. The entire Committee has agreed that we must keep transparency. The website will facilitate opinions from all the stakeholders. The committee took decisions on two major things -- the advertisement will be printed in all languages so that all stakeholders can give their opinions... Secondly, the website will facilitate inputs from all stakeholders... This is being examined by the Secretary General... The development of technology is taking time to ensure the website doesn't crash... The website will be launched soon with a QR code facility. Suggestions will be collected, and Parliamentarians will review them," he added.

He further remarked that everyone has different opinions

"There could be different opinions in the Committee too...One time will come when all the members will agree to it because all the leaders think for the nation and will agree over it for the nation's interest," he said.

PP Chaudhary further asserted that in today's meeting, former judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Hemant Gupta, along with Justice SN Jha, Dr BS Chauhan, and Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, will be there for the interaction.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on 'One Nation, One Election' is underway and will continue till 5 pm.

In the first session, there will be an interaction with Justice Hemant Gupta, former judge of the Supreme Court. This will be followed by a session with Justice SN Jha, former Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The next session will include Dr Justice BS Chauhan, former Supreme Court judge and Chairman of the 21st Law Commission of India. The final session will be with Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajya Sabha Member and Senior Advocate.

On March 25, the JPC held an important meeting that lasted over five hours. Several MPS in the committee raised concerns about the practicality of holding Lok Sabha and state elections together.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Finally some transparency in the process! The website with QR code is a great idea to collect opinions from all sections. Hope they genuinely consider diverse viewpoints before making any decisions. 🤞
P
Priya M.
While I appreciate the effort to gather opinions, I'm skeptical about how much weight regional concerns will carry. States have different political cycles for valid reasons. This seems rushed.
S
Sanjay T.
Maharashtra first makes sense - our state always leads the way! Hope they visit rural areas too, not just cities. Farmers and small business owners need to be heard on this.
A
Ananya P.
The committee members sound impressive! Having Supreme Court justices involved gives me confidence in the process. Though I wonder if 2 days per state is enough time? 🤔
V
Vikram J.
One Nation One Election could save so much taxpayer money! The current system means we're always in election mode. Hope they find a balanced solution that works for all states.
N
Neha R.
Respectfully, I think this is putting the cart before the horse. Shouldn't we first strengthen our election infrastructure? Many polling stations still lack basic facilities. Focus on that first!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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