Simultaneous Polls Not Undemocratic: Law Ministry To Joint Panel

Holding simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies is not undemocratic and does not hurt the federal structure, the Union law ministry told the joint committee of Parliament examining the bills on 'one nation, one election'.

Rajiv Kumar, who oversaw the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the crucial Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, demitted office on Tuesday as the 25th chief election commissioner after a nearly three-year tenure.

The Congress and the AAP, despite contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in an alliance, fought the Delhi Assembly elections alone.

The law ministry has been allotted Rs 500 crore for Lok Sabha elections, Rs 300 crore for identity cards for voters, and Rs 597.80 crore for other election expenses.

The Bharatiya Janata Party spent Rs 1,737.68 crore for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, according to the expenditure report submitted by the party to the Election Commission of India.

In her new book, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has squarely blamed Congress for the BJP's return to power at the Centre for the third consecutive term in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.