Conducting Lok Sabha elections, Assembly and local body elections simultaneously could save nearly ₹7 lakh crore, improve governance efficiency and add up to 1.6 percentage points to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker P.P. Chaudhary said.P.P. Chaudhary is the chairperson of a 39-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the One Nation One Election proposal. (X)Chaudhary, who is the chairperson of a 39-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the One Nation One Election proposal, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had constituted an eight-member high-level committee under former President Ram Nath Kovind to examine the idea before referring it to the JPC.The Kovind committee spent approximately 186 days preparing its report.The committee’s recommendations propose synchronising Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the first phase, followed by Panchayat and Municipality polls within 100 days of the general elections.The JPC, formally constituted to examine the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, comprises 27 Lok Sabha MPs and 12 Rajya Sabha MPs besides the chairperson.The One Nation One Election proposal has faced sharp opposition from several parties, which argue it undermines federalism and the independence of state legislatures.Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the logistical challenges, specifically raising concerns about the availability of EVMs for simultaneous elections across the country.Former Chief Justice of India U. U. Lalit, while acknowledging the concept’s theoretical merits, warned of serious practical and constitutional hurdles and advised against rushing the reform.The JPC is currently on a three-day visit to Gujarat for consultations with state officials, having held discussions with Chief Secretary M.K. Das and Director General of Police Dr K.L.N. Rao at Gift City Club in Gandhinagar. Chaudhary made these remarks at a press conference in Gandhinagar on Wednesday evening.