Maha Election Commissioner recommended to the HLC on One Nation, One Election Proposal
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Mumbai: Over One Nation One Election proposal, the State Election Commissioner of Maharashtra U P S Madan recommended the High Level Committee (HPL) to utilise ballot boxes until sufficient Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are available. In a consultation with HPL, on February 12, 2024, Mr Madan, identified several challenges and offered suggestions for conducting simultaneous elections. He categorised the challenges into legal, logistical, and other issues, emphasising the complexities due to the existence of two separate bodies overseeing elections.
Mr Madan identified challenges which included conflict arising from differing electoral laws, the demands of organising elections at multiple levels simultaneously and coordination between various election bodies and voter management.
To address these challenges, Mr Madan proposed several measures including Unified Electoral laws. He suggested implementing a standardized set of electoral laws to reduce legal discrepancies, preparing a consolidated voter list for all levels of elections to streamline the process, and allocating the same polling booth for various elections to minimize confusion and logistical strain. More suggestions include instituting direct elections for all chairpersons to enhance democratic engagement, before making changes in ward allocation, transitioning to single-member wards for better representation and utilizing ballot boxes until sufficient electronic voting machines (EVMs) are available in rural regions.
Additionally, Mr Madan suggested transferring the responsibility of conducting elections for all levels to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and abolishing the State Election Commissioner position. Instead, he recommended establishing a regional commissioner role as provided under Article 324(4) of the Constitution.
