According to sources, 'One Nation, One Election' could become a reality by 2029, sources told NDTV (Archive).
New Delhi:
The Cabinet has approved the government's 'one country, one election' plan. The plan calls for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and Assembly, and holding elections to urban and panchayat bodies within the next 100 days. The Cabinet has accepted the report of a panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind.
“There is a unanimous view that simultaneous elections (beginning in 2029, sources told NDTV earlier) should be held,” said the panel, which included Home Minister Amit Shah and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal as members. The panel also outlined provisions for a 'unity government' in cases of an indeterminate result or a no-confidence motion; it was tasked with recommending such solutions.
The 'one country, one election' proposal was part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's manifesto for the 2019 and 2024 general elections, but was widely criticised by the opposition, which raised concerns about constitutional changes and practical challenges.
Sources within an undeterred government told NDTV last month that the proposal would be implemented in this, the third, term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The prime minister tweeted soon after the proposal was approved, calling it “an important step towards making our democracy even more vibrant and participatory”.
However, to achieve this, two-thirds of Parliament will need to side with the BJP, as the proposed system would require amending the Constitution at least six times.
The Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections. I commend our former President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji, for leading this effort and consulting a wide range of stakeholders.
This is an important step towards realizing our…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 18, 2024
The BJP-led Centre has a simple majority in both houses but lacks the two-thirds majority – with 52 votes in the Rajya Sabha and 72 in the Lok Sabha. It will then need to be ratified by all states and UTs.
What the 'One Nation, One Election' Panel Said
Holding simultaneous elections will “transform the electoral process and governance” and “optimize scarce resources,” the high-profile panel said, noting that 32 parties and senior figures in the judiciary, including former Supreme Court chief justices and Supreme Court judges, supported the measure.
One of the benefits listed by “one country, one election” is that it makes the election process easier for voters. Synchronizing polls will also result in higher and faster economic growth, and therefore a more stable economy, argued the panel, which said that a single round of elections will allow companies and large corporations to make decisions without fear of adverse policy changes.
The panel also reasoned that holding elections (eventually) at all three levels — for the Lok Sabha, for state assemblies and for panchayats — “will avoid disruption to supply chains and production cycles as migrant workers seek leave to cast their votes”.
The “one country, one election” campaign will also “avoid policy paralysis” and end the “atmosphere of uncertainty” created by frequent elections, the government argued.
What the government said
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the 'one country, one election' system will be implemented in two phases, with one list to identify eligible voters for all elections.
“We are going to start the discussion (on implementation) across India,” he told reporters, stressing that 80 percent of respondents in the initial discussions were in favour of the 'one country, one election' agenda.
There is “broad support” for this system, he said.
READ | On 'One Nation, One Election', BJP says: 'Good for growth'
Former Union minister Anurag Thakur pointed out in March that before 1962, simultaneous elections were in fact the norm. This changed only after 1962, he told NDTV, “If some state elections are advanced or postponed, 10-15 elections can be held simultaneously… If we save this money, India will not have to wait till 2047, it will be 'Viksit Bharat'(Developed India) dreams much earlier.'
Last year, before the Ram Nath Kovind-led panel was announced, the law minister outlined the government's rationale, telling Parliament that simultaneous elections would yield financial savings as it would reduce the deployment of multiple security forces and save political parties money.
What the opposition said
However, fifteen parties, including Congress, oppose the plan.
The Congress has said the proposal is “not pragmatic and practical”. Party leader Mallikarjun Kharge called it “an attempt to divert public attention” while releasing the party's manifesto for next month's Haryana elections. “This is not going to work… people will not accept it.”
READ | Not practical: 15 parties reject 'one nation, one election' plan
“When there are elections and there are no issues to raise, they divert attention…” Mr Kharge said.
Last week, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had said that the 'one country, one election' system is not possible under the current Constitution as it requires at least five constitutional amendments.
Other opposition parties, especially those in the Congress-led INDIA bloc, including the Samajwadi Party, the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, have also criticised the move.
In March, when its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections was released, Tamil Nadu's DMK had promised to scrap the 'one nation, one election' proposal if the INDIA bloc won the elections. Two months earlier, Trinamool leader and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had called the proposal “a design to undermine the basic structure of the Constitution” and “allow (autocracy in) a democratic garb…”
READ | '2 Problems': Mamata Banerjee rejects 'One Nation, One Election'
In addition, regional parties had expressed concerns that limited resources were hampering their ability to bring local issues to the attention of voters, especially given the frenzy surrounding national issues in the Lok Sabha elections.
Another red flag was the purchase price of EVMs, or electronic voting machines. This, according to the poll panel, would be around Rs 10,000 crore every 15 years.
What is 'One Nation, One Election'?
Simply put, this means that all Indians cast their votes in the Lok Sabha, Assembly and local elections in the same year, or even at the same time, to elect representatives at the central, state and local levels.
Currently, only a few states vote for a new government at the same time that the country elects a new union government. These few are Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha, all of which voted at the same time as the April-June Lok Sabha elections.
NDTV explains | 'One Nation, One Election'. What is it and how can it work?
Haryana votes next month, and Jharkhand and Maharashtra also vote this year. Jammu and Kashmir is holding its first parliamentary elections in a decade.
The rest follow an unsynchronised five-year cycle; for example, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana were among those who voted at different times last year. And this has been flagged by the opposition, which has warned against cutting short the terms of the respective state governments.
Of these four, the BJP rules Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Congress rules Karnataka and Telangana, both of which voted last year and will not vote again until 2028.
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