RAS question
Implementation of 'One Nation, One Election' would require amendments to how many Constitutional Articles, according to the Kovind Committee?
Correct answer: (C) At least 5 Articles, plus ratification by at least half the states for some.
According to the Kovind Committee, implementing One Nation, One Election would require amendments or insertions across at least five constitutional articles, with some changes needing ratification by not less than half of the States.
Explanation
The Kovind Committee did not treat One Nation, One Election as a one-clause adjustment. Its first constitutional amendment bill would insert Article 82A and amend Articles 83, 172 and 327 to synchronise elections to the House of the People and State Legislative Assemblies; the report says this step does not need state ratification. The second bill would insert Article 324A and amend Article 325 for Municipalities, Panchayats and single electoral roll arrangements. Because those changes touch State subjects, Part IX and Part IXA, the report says Article 368(2) requires ratification by not less than half of the States. That is why the correct formulation is at least five articles, with some amendments requiring State ratification, not a fixed bare count.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) A single article is too narrow because the committee's scheme spans Article 82A, Articles 83, 172 and 327, and the local-body and electoral-roll changes in Articles 324A and 325.
- (B) Saying only five articles misses the second-bill issue: some proposed changes, especially those linked to Article 324A and Article 325, require ratification by not less than half of the States.
- (D) The report expressly proposes constitutional amendment bills, so implementation cannot proceed without amending the Constitution.
Concept
This tests Article 368 amendment procedure as applied to electoral reform. RAS asks it because simultaneous elections sit at the intersection of Parliament, State Legislatures, local bodies and federal ratification.