One Nation One Election: what the Bills propose and where they stand

What is One Nation One Election?

It is a plan to elect the Lok Sabha and all state and Union Territory assemblies at the same time. At present they follow separate timetables. Five state assemblies, for example, complete their terms between March and May 2027, News24 reported.

The idea was examined by a High-Level Committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which the government set up in September 2023. In its report, dated March 2024, the committee recommended holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections together, followed by panchayat and municipal elections within 100 days, according to PRS Legislative Research.

Which Bills are before Parliament?

Two Bills introduced in the Lok Sabha on 17 December 2024: the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The first amends the Constitution for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The second applies the same scheme to Union Territories with legislatures. PRS lists the first under the Ministry of Law and Justice. Both were sent to the same Joint Parliamentary Committee, which received the constitutional amendment on 19 December 2024.

How would simultaneous elections work under the Bill?

The President would notify an “appointed date”, and every assembly elected after it would end its term with the Lok Sabha. According to PRS:

• The President may issue the notification on the date of the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election.
• Assemblies constituted after that date would expire when the Lok Sabha completes its full five-year term, counted from its first sitting.
• Elections to the Lok Sabha and all assemblies would then be held together.

What if a House is dissolved early?

A fresh election would be held only for the rest of the five-year term. If the Lok Sabha or an assembly is dissolved before its term ends, the newly elected House would serve only the remaining part of the term, PRS says. This keeps every House on the same cycle.

Can an assembly election be held separately?

Yes, if the Election Commission says it cannot be held with the others. The Commission can recommend to the President that a particular assembly election be deferred, and the President can then issue an order. PRS notes that the Bill sets no time limit on such a postponement.

What does the Constitution amendment need to pass?

At least two-thirds of the members present and voting. The bar is high. In April 2026, another constitutional amendment, on delimitation, won 298 votes to 230 in the Lok Sabha and still failed, because it needed 352 (LiveLaw, 17 April 2026).

Where does the joint committee stand?

Its deadline has been extended, most recently on 29 July 2026, and it now has until the Winter Session 2026. The committee has 41 members, the Sunday Guardian reported, and is chaired by P.P. Chaudhary.

One Nation One Election Bills

1. Sep 2023Government sets up the High-Level Committee chaired by Ram Nath Kovind.
2. Mar 2024Kovind committee report recommends simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls, with local body polls within 100 days.
3. 17 Dec 2024Both Bills introduced in the Lok Sabha.
4. 19 Dec 2024Bills referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee chaired by P.P. Chaudhary.
5. Mar 2026Lok Sabha extends the committee's deadline to the Monsoon Session 2026.
6. Jul 2026Committee has visited 10 states and seeks views from all states (Sunday Guardian).
7. 29 Jul 2026Deadline extended again, to the first day of the last week of the Winter Session 2026.

By mid-July 2026 the committee had visited 10 states, and it wants to hear from all of them, the Sunday Guardian reported. The Election Commission has told the committee it could hold simultaneous elections within six months of the law being enacted, according to the same report.

When could it take effect?

Not before the committee reports and Parliament passes the Bills, and no date has been set. The Bill links the start of the scheme to the first sitting of a Lok Sabha after a general election, so the earliest practical start depends on when the Bills pass relative to the next general election. Speaking in Lucknow on 15 July 2026, Chaudhary said the objective was to hold Lok Sabha and assembly elections together in 2029, the Free Press Journal reported. That is his stated aim. Parliament has not passed the Bills, and the committee has not yet published its findings.

As of October 2026, the Winter Session’s dates had not been announced. When the committee reports, its recommendations will guide Parliament but will not bind it.