Panel on simultaneous elections Bill meets with media personalities and economists

Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose has written a letter to Parliamentary Joint Committee Chairman PP Chaudhary, asking what was Sudir Chaudhary’s last “written or broadcast” work on the issue that qualifies him to speak about it and assist the committee. File | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The joint parliamentary committee reviewing the concurrent election bills met a group of prominent media on Monday (October 5, 2026), despite at least one member’s written objection to the inclusion of TV anchor Sudhir Chaudhary as a witness.

Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose wrote a letter to the panel’s chairman PP Chaudhary, asking what was Sudir Chaudhary’s last “written or broadcast” work on the matter that qualifies him to speak about it and assist the committee. She further noted that the chairman should have invited legal correspondents or journalists who have reported extensively on the subject.

Mamata’s All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) leader also pointed to a 2012 case against Mr Chaudhary involving serious charges of extortion for which he was remanded in judicial custody. While acknowledging the chairman’s view that time in custody did not disqualify a person from appearing before the committee, she said her objection was based on the principle that witnesses should be selected on the basis of “proven expertise and a credible record”. At any future meeting, Ms. Ghose urged the Chair to communicate to members the criteria used to select media witnesses.

According to sources, media witnesses presented differing assessments of the One Nation, One Election legislation. Three media personalities — Anjana Om Kashyap (Aaj Tak) and Mr. Chaudhary (DD News) — defended the legislation, saying it would save the exchequer a substantial amount. Another TV anchor, Rahul Sinha (Zee News), supported the bill but recommended a review of the powers given to the Election Commission, a recurring criticism of the legislation. Raj Chengappa (India Today) and Shekhar Gupta (The Print) both expressed reservations about the legislation, arguing that renewing the mandate at regular intervals promotes Indian democracy.

The panel also met economists V. Anantha Nageswaran, S. Mahendra Dev and S. Gurumurthy, who, according to sources, unanimously supported the reform, arguing that the frequent election cycle drains resources, contributes to policy paralysis and keeps governance focused on campaigning rather than administration.

Published – 5 Oct 2026 19:08 IST