"Simultaneous polls mean financial savings, it cuts down on deployment of poll officials, security forces and reduces costs incurred by public exchequer :::::: Ram Nath Kovind panel recommends simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and Assemblies, followed by local bodies

Why Is Government Pushing 'One Nation, One Election'?

Last year, before the Ram Nath Kovind-led panel was announced, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal outlined the government's rationale, and listed some of the possible hurdles.

Meghwal told Parliament simultaneous elections represent financial savings, since it cuts down on deployment of poll officials and security forces several times each year, and reduces costs incurred by the public exchequer and political parties on their campaigns.

He also pointed out asynchronous polls meant the Code of Conduct remained in force frequently, which affects roll-out of welfare schemes, whether by the centre or a state.

The government also hopes a one-shot election will improve voter turnouts, which, at present, vary significantly from state to state and even for the general election.

Not without an amendment to the Constitution and that amendment being ratified by the governments of all states and union territories, as well as, possibly, major political parties. 

Legal experts have warned that failure to do so - by amending five Articles - will leave the proposal open to attack on charges of violating India's federal structure. 

These are Article 83 (term of Parliament), Article 85 (dissolution of Lok Sabha by the President), Article 172 (duration of state legislatures), and Article 174 (dissolution of state legislatures), as well as Article 356 (imposition of President's Rule).

These are key because one of the big challenges is what to do if a state, or even the central government, fails a no-confidence motion or is otherwise dissolved before its term ends. To order all other states to hold fresh elections is impossible.

The high-prowered panel, chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, presented its report to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday, March 14, 2024.  

'One Nation, One Election' means all Indians will vote in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections - to pick central and state representatives - in the same year, if not at the same time.

In order to synchronise the terms of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, the committee recommended adding a new Article to the Constitution, Article 82A, which would say that the term of all Legislative Assemblies constituted after the appointed date, which would be notified as the date of the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after the general election, would come to an end on the expiry of the full term of the Lok Sabha. 

The report is an outcome of extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts and research work of 191 days, since its constitution on September 2, 2023. 

Other panel members including Union home minister Amit Shah, former leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, 15th finance commission chairperson NK Singh, and former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash C. Kashyap were also present at Rashtrapati Bhawan.  In its first step, simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can be held, followed by local body elections within a timeframe of 100 days in the second step.

For the first simultaneous polls, the tenure of all state assemblies can be for a period ending up to subsequent Lok Sabha elections, according to PTI.

Addressing potential scenarios of political uncertainty, the panel suggested that in cases of a hung House or a no-confidence motion, fresh polls can be conducted for the remainder of the five-year term.

Practical considerations such as advance planning for equipment, manpower, and security forces have also been underscored by the Kovind Panel. In a bid to streamline administrative processes, the committee proposed the preparation of a single electoral roll and the issuance of voter ID cards in consultation with state poll authorities for elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies.

The report includes a paper by NK Singh and International Monetary Fund’s Prachi Mishra on the economic viability of simultaneous polls, a committee member told HT on the condition of anonymity.

The committee has been conducting consultations with political parties, constitutional experts, former chief election commissioners, the election commission and other relevant stakeholders to solicit their views and gather insights on the matter.

On examination of the constitutional and legal issues associated with simultaneous elections, the Ram Nath Kovind-led committee suggested an alternative enabling framework to make simultaneous elections tenable.

Disruptions to governance and policy paralysis resulting from the application of the Model Code of Conduct and its adverse impact on economic growth will be mitigated.

The committee suggested that, in the first step, simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and State Assembly be held. Then, the election of municipalities and panchayats will be synchronised in such a way that it is held within 100 days of the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections.

In the case of a hung House, or no-confidence motion, fresh elections can be held for the remainder of the five-year tenure.

The committee recognised the significance of the single electoral roll and single elector’s photo identity card (EPIC) (voter card) for elections to all three tiers of the Indian government - Centre (Lok Sabha), State (Legislative Assembly) and local (muncipalities and panchayats) to safeguard the rights of voters.