2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Oct 31, 2026 06:06 AM ISTProf S Mahendra Dev. (Source: File)Economists from the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) Friday are learnt to have told the Joint Parliamentary Committee, examining the simultaneous elections Bills, that the cost of having staggered elections, as is the case now, went beyond the actual cost of conducting polls, with frequent polls affecting private investment.The committee, chaired by BJP MP P P Chaudhary, met EAC-PM chairman Prof S Mahendra Dev, EAC-PM member Dr Shamika Ravi and EAC-PM part-time member Prof Pami Dua. The committee also met Vivekananda International Foundation chairman S Gurumurthy.The EAC-PM members are learnt to have informed the committee that staggered elections end up discouraging private investment.Mahendra Dev is learnt to have told the committee that uncertainty surrounding general elections has been found to lead to contraction in corporate capital expenditure. Ravi is learnt to have flagged the impact of staggered elections on low-income families. She is also learnt to have raised the issue of Centre-State coordination, saying that frequent polls disrupt the same, impacting long-term capital formation. The economic cost of separate elections was more than the actual accounting costs, she is learnt to have said.Dua is learnt to have flagged the disruptions caused by the Model Code of Conduct, increase in government revenue expenditure and deployment of personnel.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...Oct 31: Latest News01Physical intimacy cannot be branded as rape merely because relationship soured: Supreme Court02Scolded over chocolate, 12-year-old girl drowns toddler, covers water tank with slab035 historic prisons around the world where you can now check in04Goa cop calls teen to police station over cyber complaint, ‘sexually assaults’ her05UP SIR: Bulk Form 7s not filed as per rules, not acted upon by EROs, EC tells SCAdvertisementLive BlogIsrael Election Results 2026 LIVE Updates: Mossad joins poll interference probe, Qatar and Turkey under scanner9 hours agoJailer 2 Box Office Collection Day 15 Live Updates: Rajinikanth film eyes Rs 800 crore mark worldwide10 hours agoIndia vs Pakistan Highlights, Hong Kong Sixes 2026: PAK thump IND by 4 wickets, Afridi steals show17 hours agoCyclone Arnab Live Updates: Odisha to airlift residents of 300 cyclone-hit villages, 9 trains cancelled1 day agoCyclone Arnab Tracker Highlights: Andhra CM speaks to Amit Shah, seeks central team to assess cyclone damage2 days agoAdvertisement