Simultaneous polls are crucial from an economic standpoint, according to P.P. Chaudhary, BJP MP and chairperson of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Bill on concurrent elections. In a wide-ranging conversation at The Hindu MIND event moderated by Sobhana K. Nair, he, however, admitted that the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, in its present form has many infirmities, including excessive power to the Election Commission (EC), which needs to be addressed. Edited excerpts: