Panel on simultaneous polls to seek film personalities’ view on proposed legislation

JPC reviews 'One Nation, One Election' legislation, meeting celebrities and industry experts to understand impact of elections.

In its first such tour, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) reviewing the legislation on introducing simultaneous elections (‘One Nation, One Election’) is heading for Mumbai and Dehradun from May 17-22. Among the people the panel will meet to seek their views are “celebrities of the Hindi and regional entertainment industries”. 

Speaking to The Hindu, the JPC’s Chairperson P.P. Chaudhary said that elections and the election cycle impacted everyone. “Our effort is to reach out to a wide array of interest groups, which includes the film industry. They also have the power to influence public opinion,” Mr. Chaudhary said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said that the Parliament Secretariat had started reaching out to people in the film industry, but there was no list yet of the “celebrities” who would interact with the panel. 

So far, the JPC has met four former Chief Justices of India, two Supreme Court judges, two former Delhi High Court judges, and other legal luminaries, including senior lawyers Harish Salve and Abhishek Manu Singhvi.  

The panel members, during their two-day stay at Mumbai, will also be meeting officials from the Reserve Bank of India, the State Bank of India, and other banks. They will also interact with the Maharashtra State Election Commission to discuss the logistics and possible challenges of simultaneous elections.

After Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra has the largest share of Lok Sabha seats. 

Mr. Chaudhary said that this was the first of many tours that the panel would undertake. “It will be our endeavour to travel across the country. We will also be meeting labour and farmers’ unions to understand their opinion on the legislation,” the JPC head said.