“One country, one election” explanation.What it is and how it works

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held in April/May (file photo).

New Delhi:

A committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind submitted a report on the government’s push for ‘One Nation, One Election’, which recommended simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

The group was set up in September and has since studied “best practices in other countries” and consulted 39 political parties, economists and the Election Commission of India. It said today it supported the idea but called for a legally sustainable mechanism that could disrupt and realign existing electoral cycles.

The report submitted to President Drupadi Murmu said “the committee unanimously agreed that the polls should be held concurrently” and noted that the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls could be held along with the local body elections (also held concurrently) 100 days later.

Read | ‘Unanimous…need for simultaneous polls’: NDTV access report

The “One Nation, One Election” proposal was part of the BJP’s 2019 manifesto but was heavily criticized by the opposition, which raised alarm over constitutional issues.

What is “one country, one election”?

In a nutshell, this means that all Indians will vote in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the same year, if not at the same time, to elect Center and state representatives.

Currently, while the country elects a new federal government, a small number of people vote to elect new state governments. The states are Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha, which are scheduled to vote simultaneously with the April/May Lok Sabha elections.

Maharashtra and Haryana will go to the polls later this year, as will Jharkhand, while the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir must hold its first assembly elections in six years by September 30, in compliance with the recent Supreme Court order on restoration of statehood.

The rest follow asynchronous five-year cycles; Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana, for example, went to polls at different times last year.

Not surprisingly, given the vast size of the country and the vast topographical and cultural differences between regions, adapting and synchronizing electoral cycles faces multiple challenges, ranging from logistical and financial to conceptual, constitutional, legal, and even practical.

Why does the government promote “one country, one election”?

Last year, ahead of the announcement by the Ram Nath Kovind-led panel, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal outlined the government’s rationale and listed Some possible obstacles.

Meghwal told Parliament that holding simultaneous elections would result in financial savings as it would reduce the deployment of polling officials and security forces several times a year and reduce the costs incurred by public finances and political parties in campaigning.

Read | Weeks ahead of ‘One Nation, One Election’ push, center lays out pros and cons

He also pointed out that asynchronous polls mean that the Code of Conduct often remains in force, which affects the rollout of welfare schemes, whether central or state-based.

The government also hopes the one-off election will boost voter turnout, which currently varies widely from state to state and even in general elections.

How does “One Nation, One Election” work?

Not without a constitutional amendment, and that amendment was ratified by all state and Union Territory governments and possibly the major political parties.

Legal experts have warned that if five clauses are not amended, the proposal faces accusations of violating India’s federal structure.

Read | Legal group may propose simultaneous polls in 2029

They are Article 83 (Term of Parliament), Article 85 (Dissolution of Lok Sabha by the President), Article 172 (Term of State Legislature), Article 174 (Dissolution of State Legislature) and Article 356 (Term of President). rule).

These are critical because one of the biggest challenges is what to do if a country, or even the central government, fails a motion of no confidence or is dissolved before the end of its term.

Ordering all other states to hold new elections is impossible.

Opinion Poll Group 2015 Report

Nine years ago, the ECI had also submitted a feasibility report on the “One Nation, One Election” idea, which suggested that the no-confidence motion include nominating a new chief minister or prime minister to succeed the current chief minister if he loses. New leaders must be put to the test immediately.

In the case of early dissolution, only short-term elections should be held to elect a government for the remainder of the term.

Read | Contents of the Electoral Commission’s 2015 Simultaneous Opinion Poll Report

Various such measures have been proposed, including extending or shortening terms to help synchronize electoral cycles. Overall, the effects have drawn criticism from the opposition.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is one of the most outspoken. In January, she called the proposal “a design to subvert the basic structure of the Constitution” and create a system that would allow “authoritarianism cloaked in democracy to enter the nation’s public arena.”

Read | ‘Two questions’: Mamata Banerjee rejects ‘one country, one election’

Last month, his counterpart in Tamil Nadu, Stalin, expressed opposition, calling it a “threat to democratic devolution”. “This is unrealistic and not enshrined in the Constitution of India,” he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party also rejected the idea. AAP president Arvind Kejriwal said this would harm the idea of ​​parliamentary democracy and the basic structure of the Constitution.

The Congress also slammed it as “undemocratic”, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge offering a rebuttal that included questioning the rationale for the government’s savings.

Read | ‘Not democratic, give up on ideas’: Hager on one country, one poll

However, not all opposition parties expressed opposition. In Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party, along with local Congress units, have called on the government to implement “one nation, one election” in the union territory.

Read | ‘One country, one election from Kashmir’, says J&K party

Amidst all this back and forth, one thing stands out – until 1967, simultaneous polls were the norm in India, but such elections were held only four times. This was undermined after some state legislatures were prematurely dissolved.

The challenge of “one country, one election”

Apart from synchronizing the electoral cycle with minimal disruption to governance (and ensuring that all political parties are involved), there is still no real clarity on how to deal with disruptions caused by dissolution of the House of Representatives, presidential rule or even hung parliaments or parliaments .

NDTV Explained | “One country, one election.” What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Regional parties also point out that their limited resources mean they may not be able to focus local issues as effectively as possible with voters in the face of better-funded parties trying to draw attention to the Lok Sabha elections.

Read | Rs 1,000 billion every 15 years – the cost of one country, one election

Another area of ​​concern is the recurring cost of purchasing an EVMS or electronic voting machine. The poll panel said the figure would approach Rs 10,000 crore every 15 years.

What does the public say?

News agency PTI said in January that the “One Nation, One Election” panel received nearly 21,000 suggestions from the public, of which more than 81% were in favour.

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