Four Ex-CJIs Rally Behind 'One Nation, One Election' As Cabinet Gives Green Signal

New Delhi: All four former Supreme Court chief justices -- Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justice UU Lalit provided written responses which were in favour of holding simultaneous elections, a report compiled by former President Ram Nath Kovind panel's stated.

The report further added that three former high court chief justices and one former state election commissioner were among those who objected to the idea of 'one nation, one election' during the consultations by a high-level committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind.

Among the former chief justices of high courts, nine supported simultaneous elections, highlighting their potential benefits while three raised concerns or objections. Former Delhi High Court chief justice Ajit Prakash Shah opposed the concept of simultaneous elections, noting it may curb democratic expression along with concerns about distorted voting patterns and state-level political alterations.

"Additionally, he said that simultaneous elections hinder political accountability, as fixed terms offer representatives unwarranted stability without performance scrutiny, challenging democratic principles," the report noted.

Former Calcutta High Court chief justice Girish Chandra Gupta opposed simultaneous polls, saying the idea is not conducive to the principles of democracy.

"Justice Sanjib Banerjee, former Chief Justice, Madras High Court opposed simultaneous elections due to concerns that it would undermine India's federal structure and be prejudicial to regional issues.

"He cited empirical data showing frequent midterm state elections, emphasising the importance of allowing people to exercise their choices. He suggested state funding of elections as a more effective reform to tackle corruption and inefficiency," the report said.

All four former chief election commissioners, who were consulted by the panel, favoured simultaneous elections.