New Delhi: A Parliamentary Standing Committee has cautioned the Election Commission (EC) against rushing to prepare a common electoral roll without looking into the Constitutional provisions and powers of states, the Deccan Herald reported.The Committee also suggested that the EC should adhere to principles of “federalism enshrined in the Constitution” and “carefully assess potential consequences”, the report said.At present, the EC prepares the voter’s list for Parliament and Assembly polls while for local body polls, the electoral roll is prepared by the State Election Commission.The Committee suggested that the EC should hold extensive consultations with the central government’s law department, state governments and parties while expressing concerns about the potential impact of a common roll on the constitutional powers of the states, the Deccan Herald reported.“The ECI may also keep in mind the principles of federalism enshrined under the constitution and the powers reserved for the State Election Commissions under List II Entry 5,” the report ‘Specific Aspects of Election Process and Their Reform’ said.The government is in favour of a common electoral roll – a suggestion which was first made in 1999 by the then chief election commissioner through a letter to the prime minister – as it believes it would reduce the cost and efforts involved in the process of preparing separate lists.The report said the committee has taken note of the “potential benefits” of a common electoral roll but it stressed the importance of proper constitutional and statutory authorisation before the EC takes charge of creating electoral rolls for State Election Commissions.The committee also cautioned the EC against treating all regions in India as identical, the report said.The panel further observed that implementing the common roll is currently outside the scope of Article 325 of the Constitution, ThePrint reported.This Article stipulates that separate electoral rolls must be used for elections to Parliament and the state legislatures. The panel suggested that to ensure that all actions are in line with the Constitution, “consensus shall be made in line with Article 325”.“By conducting these consultations, a final proposal on a Common Electoral Roll can be developed taking into consideration the different viewpoints and concerns of all parties involved,” the panel said in its report.