PP Choudhary, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which is deliberating on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, said on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) that the country can save Rs 7 lakh crore if Lok Sabha and state assembly elections are held simultaneously and the amount saved can be used for development works. Chaudhary also directed the Gujarat Chief Secretary to submit a detailed report on the suggestions received from all departments regarding the proposal. The JPC, which is deliberating on the proposal to hold simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, began a three-day tour of Gujarat on Tuesday.

On the first day, the committee held a meeting with bureaucrats, Chief Secretary MK Das, officials of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and secretaries of various departments at Gandhinagar’s Gift City. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, JPC president and BJP MP Chaudhary said that the state government officials gave a detailed presentation, highlighting many important issues which were not considered earlier. He said, “We have directed them to prepare a comprehensive report, which can then be adopted as a model by other state governments across the country, so that they submit their reports in the same format.” Choudhary said the report should contain a comprehensive assessment of the impact on industries, production loss, labor migration, employment, GST collection, economy, tourism and education.

Big claim on ‘One Nation, One Election’

“The Chief Secretary should submit a comprehensive report for further deliberations and action,” he said. Today’s discussion was very positive and constructive.” The 41-member parliamentary committee headed by Chaudhary is simultaneously considering two proposed laws related to holding simultaneous elections – the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territory Law (Amendment) Bill. Chaudhary claimed that if simultaneous elections are held, the country will save Rs 7 lakh crore and the gross domestic product (GDP) will increase by 1.6 percent. He said, “Economists have also said that this can increase the GDP by 1.6 percent. If elections are held simultaneously, the country can save Rs 7 lakh crore. This amount can be used for infrastructure development, welfare of the poor, education, health care and other public welfare works.

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BJP’s big statement on electoral reforms

Giving credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for starting the electoral reform process, the BJP leader said that the Center had earlier formed a committee under the chairmanship of former President Ramnath Kovind to deliberate on this issue. Chaudhary said that they are discussing ways to hold elections simultaneously. He said that six former Chief Justices of India have told the committee that there is no violation of any kind with respect to the federal structure, basic structure or fundamental rights. Chaudhary said that the committee had presented its report, which has been accepted by the government.

Big recommendation on simultaneous elections

He said, “The committee presented a detailed report of about 18,000 pages, which has been accepted by the government. The report also includes a recommendation to hold Lok Sabha and state assembly elections simultaneously. Choudhary said that according to the recommendations, elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies should be held simultaneously, while elections to panchayats and municipalities should be completed within 100 days of the parliamentary and assembly elections. “This reform will eliminate the need for frequent elections and will allow governments to devote more time and resources to governance, development, poverty alleviation, education, healthcare and overall national progress,” Chaudhary said. He said the committee is conducting a detailed study and is confident that both its members and Parliament will rise above party politics and work in the national interest.

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‘One nation, one election’

Addressing reporters at the airport after reaching Ahmedabad, Chaudhary said that the concept of ‘one nation, one election’ is in the national interest and it has the support of many institutions and committees. “The Law Commission of India, headed by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court, has also said that elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies should be held simultaneously,” he said. Chaudhary said that the NITI Aayog has also advocated simultaneous elections in its articles, while the Parliament Standing Committee, comprising members from different political parties, has also supported the proposal.

State tour continues to seek consensus

He told that the committee had visited Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Karnataka before reaching Gujarat. “Our effort is to listen to everyone and take all viewpoints into consideration,” Chaudhary said. When we submit our recommendations to Parliament, our primary objective will be to ensure that there is broad consensus among all stakeholders.