Panel on simultaneous elections Bills meets media personalities and economists
Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose objects to television anchor Mr. Sudhir Chaudhary’s inclusion in the list of witnesses
The Parliamentary Joint Committee reviewing the simultaneous elections Bills held a meeting on Monday, October 5, 2026, with a group of prominent media personalities and economists. Despite a written objection from at least one member against including television anchor Sudhir Chaudhary, the meeting proceeded as planned. Ms. Ghose, the chairperson of the committee, received criticism for inviting Chaudhary, who had faced a 2012 extortion case and was held in judicial custody.
However, she defended her decision, stating that Chaudhary's period in custody did not disqualify him from appearing before the committee based on demonstrated expertise. Major media witnesses presented divergent opinions on the One Nation, One Election legislation. Anjana Om Kashyap (Aaj Tak) and Sudhir Chaudhary (DD News) supported the legislation, claiming it would save significant funds for the national exchequer.
Rahul Sinha (Zee News) backed the Bill but suggested reviewing the powers given to the Election Commission. Raj Chengappa (India Today) and Shekhar Gupta (The Print) expressed reservations, arguing that regular renewal of mandates sustains Indian democracy. Economists V. Anantha Nageswaran, S. Mahendra Dev, and S. Gurumurthy also backed the reform, emphasizing that frequent election cycles divert resources, cause policy paralysis, and prioritize campaign over governance.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
