The High-Level Committee constituted under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind on September 2 to examine issues relating to holding of simultaneous elections in the country, and to make recommendations thereon, held a preliminary meeting on Saturday.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, former Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Chairman, 15^th Finance Commission N K Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C Kashyap and former Central Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari attended the meeting.

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Among other members, Senior Advocate Harish Salve joined the meeting virtually. Leader of the largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury did not attend the meeting.

Welcoming the Members of the High-Level Committee, the Chairman of the Committee outlined the agenda of the meeting.

The Committee worked out modalities of its working at the meeting. The  Committee decided to invite recognised national political parties, political parties having Governments in States, political parties having their representatives in Parliament, and other recognised State political parties for their suggestions and viewpoints on the issue of simultaneous elections in the country.

In addition, the Committee will also invite the Law Commission of India to make its suggestions and viewpoints on the issue of simultaneous elections in the country.

Elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies were mostly held simultaneously from 1951-52 to 1967, after which the cycle got broken. Now elections are held almost every year and within a year too at different times.

This results in massive expenditure by the government and other stakeholders , diversion of security forces and other electoral officers engaged in such elections from their primary duties for long periods.

There is disruption of developmental work also on account of prolonged application of the Model Code of Conduct, the Government Resolution while setting up the High Level Committee said.