In a significant step aimed at improving the electoral process, the Union Cabinet on Thursday gave its nod to the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill which is likely to be introduced in the ongoing winter session of Parliament, sources said.

The Bill on the simultaneous polls for the lower house and the assemblies, once cleared by both houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, will become a law.

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To ensure broad support, the Union government plans to build consensus on the Bill, possibly referring it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions.

This exercise will pave the way for including opinions from all political parties which will be sending their representatives.

Moreover, this will also facilitate other stakeholders, including state Assembly Speakers and intellectuals, to share their views. Opinions of the public may also be sought.

Earlier on Wednesday, former President Ram Nath Kovind said the Union government must build a consensus on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ initiative, emphasising that the issue transcends political interests and serves the nation as a whole.

Talking to the media, Kovind, who chairs the committee on the issue, said, “The Central government will have to build consensus. This issue is not in the interest of any party but the nation. It (One Nation, One Election) will be a game-changer–it’s not my opinion but that of economists, who believe that after its implementation, the country’s GDP will rise by 1-1.5 per cent.”

The Union Cabinet has already approved the Ram Nath Kovind Committee’s report on the proposal, which advocates simultaneous elections across the country.

According to the Union government, ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill will not only streamline the electoral process, but will also foster greater efficiency, and reduce the financial and administrative burden associated with conducting multiple elections at different times.

The Centre has stressed that the concept of ‘One Nation, One Election’ envisions to synchronise the electoral cycles of the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies, allowing voters to cast their ballots for both polls simultaneously.

By doing so, the government aims to address several challenges posed by the current system of staggered elections, which often lead to prolonged periods of electioneering, disruption in governance, and heightened expenditure.

In September this year, the Cabinet had approved the proposal for the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had hailed the proposal, saying that the Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections.

The Committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind had recommended holding concurrent elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.

The panel extensively consulted a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including political parties and experts, before preparing the report. It received extensive feedback indicating overwhelming support for simultaneous elections in the country.

The committee had submitted the report in March, ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. It recommended preparation for common electoral rolls and voter ID cards by the Election Commission (ECI) in consultation with state election authorities.

“Simultaneous polls will help save resources, remove the impediments and help realise the aspirations of “India, that is Bharat”, the panel said.

The idea of ‘one nation, one election’ was first proposed in the 1980s.Previously, the simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies were held in 1951-52, 1957, 1962 and 1967. However, the cycle was disrupted due to premature dissolution of some assemblies.