The parliamentary panel constituted to scrutinise the two bills on simultaneous elections held its first meeting on Wednesday, with BJP members lauding the concept, and opposition MPs questioning it. Officials of the Ministry of Law and Justice made a presentation on the provisions of the proposed laws during the meeting, citing support to the idea of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls by various bodies, including the Law Commission of India, sources said.

BJP members batted for the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal, saying it is in the interest of the country, they said. A Congress member said the idea is against the basic fabric of the Constitution, while a Trinamool Congress MP said it negates people’s democratic rights, they added.