Kovind-led panel holds talks with economists over research on electoral cycle
Former president Ram Nath Kovind-led high-level committee on One Nation, One Election on Wednesday held deliberations with top economists on details of a research paper — Macroeconomic Impact of Harmonizing Electoral Cycles
New Delhi: Former president Ram Nath Kovind-led high-level committee on One Nation, One Election on Wednesday held deliberations with top economists on details of a research paper — Macroeconomic Impact of Harmonizing Electoral Cycles — on the subject, attracting mixed reactions from experts on holding simultaneous polls, people aware of the matter said.
The committee sought the experts’ view on simultaneous polls as the research paper, co-authored by chairman of the 15th finance commission NK Singh and chief of systemic division issues at International Monetary Fund (IMF) Prachi Mishra, pointed at wider implication of harmonising elections on the economy, besides economising time and resources.
Both Singh and Mishra were among the 13 economists present in the meeting called by the Kovind-led panel, one of people who attended the deliberations said, requesting anonymity.
The research paper was discussed in the meeting, the person said. “Some people had questions on the [research] methodology. Even though most people were in favour, there were some who did not appreciate the idea of holding simultaneous polls,” the person added, declining to divulge specific details of the meeting and views of individual experts.
HT reported about the research paper on January 28 when it was first presented to the committee. The paper expounded simultaneous elections would precipitate higher economic growth, and give government more fiscal space to invest on welfare works and infrastructure development.
The research paper explained that apart from the expenses factors, there are wider economic ramifications of simultaneous polls on gross domestic product (GDP) growth, fiscal deficit, welfare programmes, and law and order.
The meeting was also attended by representatives from research institutions such as the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG), the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), and the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP).
In a separate meeting, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi presented his party’s views before the Kovind-led panel on holding the simultaneous polls.
Last month, Owaisi had opposed the idea, describing it as a “solution searching for a problem” and saying the proposal to hold the three-tier polls in the country simultaneously would be a “disaster” for Indian democracy and federalism.
