Ram Nath Kovind

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted former president Ram Nath Kovind on his birthday, and said he is widely respected for his service to society and contribution to national progress. Kovind, who served as the President from July 2017 to July 2022, turned 79 on Tuesday. "Birthday greetings to our former President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji. He is widely respected for his service to society and contribution to national progress," Modi said on X. "His insights into various subjects are also very enriching. Praying for his long and healthy life," the prime minister said.

Govt to form implementation group, make efforts to build consensus

The initiative, based on recommendations from a high-level committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, requires constitutional amendments and political consensus

The One Nation One Election proposal suggests that all voters in India would cast ballots in both the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections in the same year, though not necessarily at the same time

Creating adequate fiscal space is important to give impetus to the current growth trajectory, said former President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday. Speaking at an event organised by TIOL here, the former president said no nation can prosper without predictability and certainty in the tax architecture. The fiscal architecture is one of its most important pillars, he said. Sound fiscal management attracts both public and private capital and improves the quality of the public-private partnership. "Over the years, we have made great progress in streamlining our taxation policy. The complex tax regimes themselves have been simplified beyond recognition" he said. Now there are fewer tax slabs, processes have been streamlined. taxation policy has become more predictable and investor confidence improved while ease of doing business has enhanced, he said. All this has been made possible by leveraging technology and going forward faceless tax assessment will be the norm, he said. Speaking at

In its report, the committee advised that an 'Implementation Group' should be set up to look into the execution of its recommendations

The idea needs a political consensus

A total of 28 no-confidence motions have been moved in the Lok Sabha till now, as disclosed by a high-level panel deliberating on the prospect of 'one nation, one election'. The panel's findings also shed light on the occurrence of seven instances where Lok Sabha found itself in a state of deadlock. Proposing a solution to these challenges, the high-level panel led by former president Ram Nath Kovind suggested that in scenarios of a hung House or a vote of no confidence, fresh elections should be conducted to constitute a new Lok Sabha. Historical data highlighted in the report indicates that the highest number of no-confidence motions in Lok Sabha were moved during 1961-70, totalling 12, followed by six such motions during 1971-1980. In stark contrast, from 2000 to 2023, merely three no-confidence motions were recorded. To tackle these issues, the panel has put forth a comprehensive mechanism. This proposed framework entails a constitutional amendment fixing Lok Sabha's tenure at

Committee recommends constitutional amendment to hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls which does not need to be ratified by the states

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled a 125-foot bronze statue of 'Ahom general' Lachit Borphukan in Assam's Jorhat. The 'Statue of Valour' was unveiled by the PM at the Lachit Barphukan Maidam Development Project at Hollongapar near Teok. Modi, who reached Jorhat from Arunachal Pradesh by helicopter, was dressed in traditional attire and headgear. He participated in an Ahom ritual for the unveiling of the statue. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accompanied the prime minister during the programme. The height of the statute, built by Ram Vanji Sutar, is 84 feet and it is set on a pedestal of 41 feet, making the structure 125 feet tall. The foundation of the statue was laid by former President Ram Nath Kovind in February 2022. Lachit Borphukan was a legendary army commander of the Ahom kingdom (1228-1826). He is known for his leadership in the 1671 'Battle of Saraighat' that thwarted a drawn-out attempt by the mighty Mughal forces, led by Raja Ramsingh-I, to take b

The high-level committee on 'one nation, one election' headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday reviewed the progress made by it since it was set up in September last, an official statement said. The committee at its meeting on Saturday "reviewed its various activities", the statement said. The panel has been reviewing the progress made by it since it was set up in September last year. The committee is mandated to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats keeping in view the existing constitutional framework. While the ruling BJP and other parties, including the Shiv Sena and the Janata Dal (United), have supported the concept of simultaneous polls, the opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), have rejected the idea.

Law Commission, in its 2015 report, proposed that a no-confidence motion, even if passed by a majority, shall remain ineffective unless a motion of confidence in a named individual is passed

Continuing the consultations, the HLC also had interactions with Pankaj Kumar Gupta, National Secretary and Jasmine Shah, senior leader of Aam Aadmi Party

Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has supported the concept of simultaneous polls, saying frequent elections are not good for the economy and hamper growth. In a letter to chairman of the high-level committee on 'one nation one election' Ram Nath Kovind, Shinde said simultaneous polls are one of the "most critical reforms" proposed by the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "We strongly believe that 'one nation, one election' will lead to focused and smooth governance. With elections going on in some part or other of the country it becomes very difficult to concentrate on governance as the entire attention is focused in winning these elections," he wrote. In his January 24 letter, he said "everyone from the PM to ministers to CMs to MPs, MLAs and all leaders get involved with these elections. This causes virtual paralysis of administration at various levels". He noted that assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangan

Former president and head of the high-level committee on one nation, one election Ram Nath Kovind has held consultations with former chief justice of India U U Lalit and the Bar Council of India on the issue of simultaneous polls. Continuing his deliberations with retired judges, Kovind also met former chief justice of the Meghalaya High Court Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Manan Kumar Mishra, chairman of the Bar Council of India, who gave their considered opinion on the subject, an official statement said on Saturday. It also said the committee held its fresh meeting on Saturday in which a presentation was made based on the research paper Macroeconomic Impact of Harmonising Electoral Cycles, Evidences from India' co-authored by panel member and former Finance Commission head N K Singh and Prachi Mishra. The paper indicated that simultaneous elections would precipitate higher economic growth, and result in more government investment in expenditure on capital and revenue. Saturday's ..

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to the high-level committee on "One Nation, One Election" expressing her disagreement with the concept of simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and assemblies, and said it would be against the basic structure of India's constitutional arrangements. In a letter to the panel secretary, Banerjee said that in 1952, the first general elections were simultaneously conducted for the central and state levels. "There was such simultaneity for some years. But the coevality has since been ruptured...," she said. "I regret that I cannot agree with the concept of 'One Nation, One Election', as framed by you. We disagree with your formulation and proposal," she wrote. She said there are basic conceptual difficulties in agreeing with the committee, and the concept is not clear. The West Bengal chief minister questioned the meaning of 'One Nation' in the context, and said, "While I understand the meaning of one nation in a ...

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to the high-level committee on "One Nation, One Election" expressing her disagreement with the concept of simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and assemblies, and said it would be against the basic structure of India's constitutional arrangements. In a letter to the panel secretary, Banerjee said that in 1952, the first general elections were simultaneously conducted for the central and state levels. "There was such simultaneity for some years. But the coevality has since been ruptured...," she said. "I regret that I cannot agree with the concept of 'One Nation, One Election', as framed by you. We disagree with your formulation and proposal," she wrote. "Non-simultaneous federal and state elections are a basic feature in the Westminster system which should not be altered. To paraphrase, non-simultaneity is part of the basic structure of the Indian Constitutional arrangements," the West Bengal chief minister said. The high-l

The panel on 'One Nation, One Election' led by former president Ram Nath Kovind has received over 5,000 suggestions from the public on simultaneous polls, sources said on Wednesday. Last week, the high-level committee had invited suggestions from the public "for making appropriate changes in the existing legal administrative framework to enable simultaneous elections in the country". The sources said over 5,000 emails have been received so far. In a public notice, the high-level committee had said the suggestions received by January 15 would be taken up for consideration. The committee has so far held two meetings since it was constituted in September last year. It had also recently written to political parties seeking their views and an interaction on a "mutually agreed date" on the idea of holding simultaneous polls. It had later sent a reminder to the parties. Letters were sent to six national parties, 33 state parties and seven registered unrecognised parties. The committee h

The panel on 'One Nation, One Election' led by former president Ram Nath Kovind has invited suggestions from the public "for making appropriate changes in the existing legal administrative framework to enable simultaneous elections in the country". In a public notice, the high-level committee said the suggestions received by January 15 would be taken up for consideration. The suggestions can be posted on the committee's website onoe.gov.in or sent by e-mail to sc-hlc@gov.in, the notice said. The committee has held two meetings since it was constituted in September last year. It had also recently written to political parties seeking their views and an interaction on a "mutually agreed date" on the idea of holding simultaneous polls. It had later sent a reminder to the parties. Letters were sent to six national parties, 33 state parties and seven registered unrecognised parties. The committee has also heard the views of the Law Commission on simultaneous polls. The law panel could b

Former president Ram Nath Kovind, who heads the committee to explore the possibility of "one nation, one election", said holding simultaneous polls is in the national interest and has got nothing to do with any particular political party. "Holding simultaneous elections will be beneficial for the public as the revenue saved will be used for development work," the former president, on a private visit here, told reporters on Monday night. "I am requesting all the political parties to cooperate as this is in the national interest. No political party has got anything to do with it," he stressed. The government constituted the high-level eight-member committee, headed by Kovind, earlier this year. The former president said, "Many committees such as the parliamentary committee, Niti Aayog, Election Commission of India, and others have said that the tradition of 'one nation one election' needs to be revived in the country." "The government has constituted a committee for the purpose and