Former President Ram Nath Kovind will be heading the panel constituted by the Centre,
The Centre has constituted a committee to examine the possibility of 'One Nation, One Election'. The panel, which will be headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, will explore whether simultaneous national and state assembly polls can take place in the country.
The big move on One Nation, One Election comes after the Centre called a Special Session of the Parliament from September 18 to 22, though the agenda of the session is still unclear. There are speculations that the Centre might introduce the "One Nation, One Election" bill.
Former President Ram Nath Kovind, who will be heading the panel constituted by the Centre, mentioned the issue of One Nation, One Election in his address to the Joint Session of Parliament in 2018.
Ram Nath Kovind (Then President) said, "Elections are always taking place in some parts of the country. I am worried about the impact continuous elections have on India's economic growth and development."
"It's not only a burden on human resources, but the enforcement of the model of conduct (MCC) hinders the development of India," Mr Kovind said, adding, "There should be more discussion on conducting simultaneous election in the country and there should be a consensus among political parties."
The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have spoken on the issue on several occasions, and it was also a part of the party's manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
In its 2014 Lok Sabha Election Manifesto, the BJP had promised to evolve a method for holding the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously.
Conducting polls simultaneously was the norm in India until 1967 when four elections were held together. The practice stopped after some state assemblies were dissolved prematurely in 1968-69. The Lok Sabha was also, for the first time, dissolved a year ahead of schedule in 1970 and mid-term elections had been held in 1971.
The idea to revert to simultaneous polls was mooted in the annual report of the Election Commission in 1983.
Experts said making the 'one nation, one election' proposal a reality will require a constitutional amendment and the support of two-thirds of the members in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Assembly polls in five states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram - are due in November-December, and the Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held around May next year.