Joint Parliamentary Committee on Two Bills on Conducting Simultaneous Polls

• Opposition members argue for a year for the panel to complete its work on simultaneous polls.

• The committee has time until the first week of the next Parliament session, leaving it with just three weeks.

• The Bills violate the basic structure doctrine of the Constitution, making the State legislature subordinate to the national legislature.

• Members question the government’s argument that simultaneous polls are better for the economy.

• Questions are raised about the cost of holding elections since the 2004 Lok Sabha election when EVMs were used in all 543 seats.

• BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj and Shiv Sena (Shinde) MP Srikant Shinde want an exact estimate of the expected increase in per capita GDP with simultaneous polls.

• Key BJP ally Janata Dal questions the efficacy of the legislation in a multiparty country like India