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Bengaluru: Regional parties, including the JD(S), have raised concerns over protecting their interests under the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ framework, Joint Parliamentary Committee chairperson Prem Prakash Chaudhary said on Monday.

He said the panel was open to examining infirmities in the Constitutional Amendment Bill.

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru after an interaction with Padma awardees, Chaudhary said the committee was actively considering safeguards to maintain synchronised elections even in the event of fractured mandates or no-confidence motions.

These include suggestions such as the German model of ‘constructive no-confidence’ and electing a Prime Minister or Chief Minister on the floor of the House.

“Janata Dal (Secular) gave a representation pointing out the infirmities in the Bill,” the Pali MP said.

“That is why we are inviting objections from various stakeholders to understand what the infirmities are in the Bill,” he added.

Replying to a question on "political instability and defections" in Karnataka over the last two decades, he said fractured mandates could arise irrespective of whether simultaneous elections are implemented.

He said India’s parliamentary democratic structure already has mechanisms to deal with such situations through majority support in legislatures and the provision of no-confidence motions.

On concerns over whether coalition governments formed under a simultaneous election system would last a full five-year term despite internal disputes, Chaudhary said the committee was examining multiple suggestions to preserve the election cycle.

He further said the committee was also discussing the possibility of limiting fresh elections to only the remainder of the original term if a government collapses before completing five years.

“If elections are held despite all these efforts, then they will be only for the remainder of the term,” he said.

Drawing parallels with local self-government institutions, he noted that the concept of a remainder term already exists in constitutional provisions introduced through the 1993 amendments relating to panchayats and municipalities.

“The concept of a remainder term has already been introduced at the grassroots level in our democracy,” he added.

Chaudhary noted that five to six state Assembly elections are held in the country every year, which affects administrative and electoral machinery across sectors.

He said elections in one state also have indirect effects on others, and implementing ‘One Nation, One Election’ would reduce the workload of teachers, police personnel and election staff.

He added that the committee’s goal is to ensure that all eligible voters, including labourers and migrants, are able to exercise their franchise.

He said holding simultaneous elections in multiple phases would allow wider participation in the democratic process.

He further said that holding safe and secure elections requires coordination between the Election Commission, the Home Ministry and other agencies for EVM deployment, postal ballots and related processes.

If the committee’s proposals are acceptable to stakeholders, implementation of ‘One Nation, One Election’ would become easier and help significantly reduce election costs, he added.

He emphasised that just as India celebrates unity in diversity, its political landscape is equally diverse.

Elected representatives from different regions play an important role in preserving and promoting local culture and heritage, he noted.