The "One Nation, One Election" proposal has sparked debate over its potential impact on India's democratic framework and federal structure.
The BJP-led NDA government, which has been a strong proponent of the concept, is pushing to move forward ... Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently supported the idea since his party's rise to power in 2014.
The much awaited bill for holding simultaneous polls is now set to be introduced in the upcoming winter session of Parliament.
One Nation One Election: - now looks Reality
In a step towards simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, Sept 18, cleared the proposal for One Nation One Election.
The winter session of Parliament is likely to see the big and historic event.
The development came after the report of the high-level committee, which was headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, was placed before the Union Cabinet.
Several opposition parties, including the Congress, AAP and Shiv Sena (UBT), have opposed simultaneous polls, alleging that it would benefit the ruling party at the Centre. The NDA's allies like JD(U) and Chirag Paswan's party have backed the idea.
"A common electoral roll will be made for all elections... an implementation group will be formed to take forward the recommendations of the Kovind panel," Vaishnaw further said.
The Modi 2.0 government had constituted the panel to examine the feasibility of simultaneous elections, one of the key promises made by the BJP in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto. The panel submitted its report to the President in March this year.
"Over 80 per cent of the respondents supported simultaneous polls. The opposition parties may face pressure from within to support it," Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
He also stated that One Nation One Election move would be implemented in two phases, stressing that the proposal received support from a large number of parties.
In its voluminous 18,626-page report, the panel has suggested simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step. For this, the approval of states is not required for the constitutional amendment.
The next step involves synchronising elections to municipalities and the panchayats with polls to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. This will be done in such a way that local body elections are held within 100 days of general elections. This will, however, require ratification by not less than one-half of the states.
The panel has recommended as many as 18 constitutional amendments for One Nation One Election to become a reality.
'ONE NATION ONE POLL IN MODI 3.0 TENURE'
In recent weeks, the BJP has intensified its pitch for a One Nation One Election, which also found a mention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech.
Saying that simultaneous polls were the "need of the hour", PM Modi contended that frequent polls were creating hurdles in the country's progress.
Earlier this week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah doubled down on the issue, saying One Nation One Election would be implemented within the NDA's current tenure.
Several countries hold simultaneous elections. In South Africa, both national and provincial elections are held every five years, with municipal elections scheduled two years later. Similarly, Sweden conducts national, provincial, and local elections every four years.
The UK has a regular election schedule established by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act of 2011.
Benefits of One Nation, One Election
Governance: Frequent elections often lead to a shift in focus from governance to campaigning. By holding elections simultaneously, governments can concentrate on policy and administration without the distraction of repeated election cycles.
Reduced Cost and Resources:
The financial burden of frequent elections has grown substantially.
For instance, while the first general elections in 1951-52 cost around Rs 11 crore, the 2019 elections incurred an estimated cost of Rs 60,000 crore. ONOE could reduce these costs and streamline the use of resources, including law enforcement personnel, who are heavily involved in election duties.
Political Corruption: Frequent elections fuel the need for continuous fundraising, which can foster corruption. ONOE could reduce this by minimizing the number of election campaigns required over a five-year term.
Simplified Voting Process: Conducting simultaneous elections could streamline voter registration, reducing issues such as missing names from electoral rolls.
The proposed new system ONOE might conflict with the federal nature of India’s political system, reducing the autonomy of state governments.
The Law Commission has earlier expressed doubts about the feasibility of simultaneous elections under the current constitutional framework.
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