S Y Quraishi

With the government setting the ball rolling for simultaneous polls, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has flagged concerns over the practicality and implications of the proposed move, saying some key recommendations are "flawed" as he emphasised the need for a debate in Parliament on these issues. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of a high-level committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind for holding simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner after a countrywide consensus-building exercise. The move has sparked a national debate with opposition parties calling it impractical and a "cheap stunt" by the ruling BJP. The report on "One Nation One Election" claimed that more than 80 per cent of the 21,558 responses received supported the proposal. Quraishi termed several key recommendations in the report "flawed". He pointed out that the simultaneous elections would exclude Panchayat elections

Bhagwat's plea for social harmony tries to repackage the Hindutva project as accommodative and tolerant of minorities

"Insecurity is a major concern for the Muslims. And those who worry: What will happen in Hindutva, well, nobody need have any fears, because in Sanatan Dharma there are millions of Gods," he said

Book review of The Population Myth: Islam, Family Planning and Politics in India

Indian bureaucrats are studying several options before devising a voting plan in the midst of the coronavirus crisis - for Bihar election later this year, and three other state elections in 2021

Interview with former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi