Political shadow on GST Council decisions as election season takes over Reaching a consensus might get tougher, as already seen with issues like inclusion of natural gas in GST and imposition of a sugar cess, both central proposals being resisted A year after the levy’s rollout, decision making on the goods and services tax (GST) could get overshadowed by politics as the election season takes over. Already, the frequency of meetings has come down from an average of over two a month till May to one in a gap of two and a half months. In fact, the meeting in early May was held through video conferencing. The next one is now slated for July 19. Reaching a consensus might also get tougher, as already seen with issues like inclusion of natural gas in GST and imposition of a sugar cess, both central proposals being resisted. While the Centre has argued for natural gas’ inclusion, this is being opposed by Andhra Pradesh. The Centre’s proposal for a sugar cess to compensate cane farm