The Cabinet clearing the Ramnath Kovind committee report for simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies and local bodies at the same time – known as One Nation, One Election – has sparked a debate on how effective the proposal would actually be.
As many as 47 political parties provided feedback on the proposal and while 32 said they were in favour of it, 15 opposed it, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party and the DMK.
The BJP, which has been pushing for One Nation, One Election has said that it would result in higher economic growth by providing stability, allow parties in power to focus on governance, improve policy making, and help voters and increase voter turnout by making casting the ballot easier and reducing the number of times it will need to be done.
The Congress has deemed the move impractical and said that it will be rejected by people while the Trinamool Congress has termed it a “cheap stunt” and questioned that if One Nation One Election was something that the government wants to implement why were the Assembly polls in Maharashtra not announced with those for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.
What Could Work
Proponents of One Nation One Election say that for India to become a developed nation, unencumbered governance is very important and having elections every few months distracts the ruling party from focusing on the issues that matter by making them get into campaign mode.
This point has been highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been speaking about the need for simultaneous elections since he assumed office for the first time in 2014. In an interview with ANI earlier this year, he said the implementation of One Nation, One Election, which was also part of the BJP’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, is the party’s commitment and the committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind had received positive and innovative suggestions.
“One Nation, One Election is our commitment. We have talked about this in parliament as well. We have also formed a committee. The committee has also submitted its report. So in terms of One Nation, One Election, many people have come on board in the country. Many people have given their suggestions to the committee. The committee received very positive and innovative suggestions and the country will benefit a lot if we can implement this report,” the PM said.
The 18,626-page report was submitted in March after extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts and research over 191 days since the committee was constituted on September 2, 2023.
Experts and parties that have supported simultaneous elections have said that it can lead to higher economic growth as it would provide policy stability and allow businesses to take decisions without fear of changes that could upset their roadmap. In a similar vein, it would also, they say, avoid disruption of supply chains and production cycles which happen because of migrant workers remaining absent to cast their votes.
For governments, One Nation One Election can help them avoid policy paralysis and increase their focus on governance. Frequent elections create an atmosphere of uncertainty and impact policy decisions.
Simultaneous polls will also help voters by ensuring ease of casting ballots and avoiding the fatigue caused by frequent elections. Supporters of the move argue that it will also boost voter turnout.
“The approval of the proposal of ‘One Nation, One Election’ by the Union Cabinet is historic. This will increase transparency in elections and reduce the financial burden on the government exchequer. I thank Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Cabinet for this decision,” senior BJP leader Vinod Tawde posted on X on Wednesday.
What May Not
Opponents argue that there is a very real risk of regional issues getting overshadowed by national ones when the entire country votes at once. It has already been seen that voters pick different parties for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and still different ones for municipal polls. Experts attribute this to problems in the region, as well as good work done by the party in power the state or local body, being in focus when Assembly or local body elections are held.
India’s federal structure gives a set of powers to the Centre and the states and those who argue against holding simultaneous polls say they can erode the importance of state governments.
State elections are also often seen as referendums on the policies of the party at the Centre and when they happen at different times, voters can hold the ruling party accountable by signalling their dissatisfaction with it. Elections being held together in a gap of five years, some argue, deprives voters of that opportunity and there is also a risk of elected representatives becoming complacent.
History
Simultaneous elections were held four times, in 1951-52, 1957, 1962 and 1967 but could not continue because of the premature dissolution of some state Assemblies in 1968 and 1969. The Lok Sabha was also dissolved prematurely in 1970 and fresh elections were held in 1971. While proponents cite the initial simultaneous elections as proof that they can work, opponents argue that India had fewer states and a smaller population at the time.
Opposition’s Take
The Congress has said that the plan is not practical and accused the BJP of using One Nation, One Election to divert the attention of voters at a time when the Assembly election has begun in Jammu and Kashmir and is scheduled to be held in Haryana on October 5. The Congress has also cited practical challenges, including amending the Constitution and cutting the terms of some Assemblies short to align them with the schedule of simultaneous polls.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday, “It is an attempt to divert the attention of the public. This is not going to succeed… the people will not accept it.”
Earlier this week, senior Congress leader and former Union minister P Chidambaram had said “‘One Nation, One Election’ is not possible under the present Constitution. It requires at least five constitutional amendments. Mr Modi does not have the majority to put those constitutional amendments in either in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha.”
Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien dismissed the move as a ‘jumla’ (empty promise) of the BJP.
“One Nation, One Election is just another cheap stunt from the anti-democratic BJP. Why were Maharashtra elections not announced along with elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir? Here’s why. The Maharashtra government announced the Ladki Bahin scheme in the budget this June. The first tranche reached the bank accounts of women in August and second tranche will reach beneficiaries in October,” he said.
“You can’t do three states in one go and you talk about One Nation One Election. And also tell us, how many constitutional amendments, including curtailing or extending terms of state assemblies, will be done,” he added.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said simultaneous elections were held in India earlier and there was a reason it was stopped.
“How will that be changed now? Elections will be held together in Lok Sabha and states… say no government can be formed in a state like Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh, will there be a proxy government with governor’s rule or President’s rule till the next election or will a fresh election be called for such states. If there is a fresh election, then the link breaks,” Mr Jha said in Hindi.
He continued, “Most importantly, after the BJP was reduced to 240 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, we thought PM Modi would speak about issues related to employment. This is a diversionary tactic, nothing else.”
