Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat Tuesday said the parallel polls are not possible without a legal framework and insisted that any extension or curtailment of the term of assemblies will require a constitutional amendment. “If the term of some state assemblies needs to be curtailed or extended, then a constitutional amendment will be required… Logistics arrangements with regard to 100 percent availability of VVPATs (paper trail machines) will be a constraint,” Rawat told reporters to a question on whether simultaneous elections can be held anytime soon.

Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat Tuesday said the parallel polls are not possible without a legal framework and insisted that any extension or curtailment of the term of assemblies will require a constitutional amendment. “If the term of some state assemblies needs to be curtailed or extended, then a constitutional amendment will be required… Logistics arrangements with regard to 100 percent availability of VVPATs (paper trail machines) will be a constraint,” Rawat told reporters to a question on whether simultaneous elections can be held anytime soon.