New Delhi: The NDA government is considering holding Assembly elections in 22 NDA-ruled states and Union Territories alongside the 2029 Lok Sabha election, as part of the proposed “One Nation, One Election” framework.
The initiative was examined by a high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which submitted its report to the Centre after consultations. Following this, the Union government introduced the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill in Parliament during the Winter Session in December 2024, but it was later referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) amid opposition objections.
BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary, appointed as the JPC chair, said the panel is seeking views from various stakeholders and is working on the structure needed to implement simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections by 2029. He noted that Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim already hold Assembly polls along with Lok Sabha elections.
While official drafts had envisaged a full rollout of the synchronised election system from 2034, the possibility of aligning 22 NDA-ruled states as early as 2029 is being examined. Chaudhary said advancing such a timeline would depend on decisions by state chief ministers, adding that some BJP chief ministers—including those of Goa, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Delhi—have expressed full support.
If Assembly polls are held with the 2029 Lok Sabha election, the current tenures of several state Assemblies would be curtailed. The report notes that Goa, Gujarat, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand could see their terms reduced by three years, while Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Rajasthan and Tripura could face a four-year reduction.
