Union Cabinet passes 'One Nation, One Election Bill': What is it and why does Oppn call it 'impractical' and 'draconian'? | Mint

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet has approved the 'One Nation, One Election' bill, which will be introduced in Parliament during the ongoing winter session of Parliament.

The bill that will pave the way for uniform elections across the country has been on the agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for quite some time now. In fact, there have been reports earlier about the Union Cabinet's approval of the bill, attributed to sources.

In September, a report said that the Modi government had approved the introduction of 'One Nation, One Election' to hold simultaneous elections in the country.

Today's 'nth approval', as one political analyst called it on LinkedIn, takes on significance as it comes in the middle of the ongoing winter session of Parliament. The Modi government, according to agency reports, wants to introduce the bill during the ongoing session before eventually referring it to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further consideration.

The winter session of parliament that started on November 25 will run until December 20.

What is 'One Nation, One Election'?

If rolled out, elections to the Lok Sabha, Assembly and local bodies (urban or rural) will be held in the same year, if not at the same time.

The high-level panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind submitted the report in March before the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The panel said in the report that simultaneous elections could “transform the electoral process.”

The first step is to hold the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together. The panel has recommended that local body elections be held within 100 days. The panel also made suggestions in case an Assembly, or even the Lok Sabha, is dissolved in advance, or in case of defections or a failed election.

What now?

Since the Modi Cabinet has approved the panel's report and also the bill, as reported on Thursday, the Center will now table the legislation in Parliament.

Two bills — one dealing with Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and the other on municipal and panchayat elections — need to be cleared by Parliament.

The Kovind panel had recommended amendments to the Constitution to allow simultaneous elections in two steps: Simultaneous elections will be held for Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The elections to the municipalities and panchayats will be synchronized with the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies in such a manner that municipal and panchayat elections are held within one hundred days of the holding of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

The panel also recommended changes in the Constitution to enable the Election Commission of India to prepare a single electoral roll and EPIC in consultation with the State Election Commissions. These amendments require ratification by no fewer than half of the states.

At least five articles of the constitution need to be amended to ensure smooth implementation of the 'One Nation, One Election' plan. It could be a challenge for the government to get these amendments approved by parliament.

BJP's push

The BJP has been pushing for simultaneous elections since coming to power in 2014. The NITI Aayog backed the proposal in 2017, and next year the then President Ram Nath Kovind mentioned it in his address to the joint session of Parliament.

In August 2018, the Law Commission released a draft report examining the legal-constitutional aspects. In his Independence Day speech in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the need to hold simultaneous elections.

In fact, holding simultaneous elections was included in the party's election manifestos for 2014 and 2019. “The BJP, through consultations with other parties, will try to develop a method to hold Assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously. Besides reducing election costs for both political parties and the government, this will ensure some stability for state governments. We will also look at a realistic revision in expenditure limits,” the BJP's 2014 manifesto said.

Arguments in favor

The argument in favor of simultaneous elections is that this will provide ease and convenience to voters, avoid voter fatigue and facilitate greater turnout. Also, holding elections for all three tiers of government together would avoid disruption to supply chains and production cycles caused by migrant workers seeking leave to cast their votes, and reduce the financial burden on public coffers.

Those in favor say frequent elections are a burden on public coffers. The frequent use of government officials and security forces adversely affects the performance of their duties and the frequent imposition of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) causes policy paralysis and slows down the pace of development programs.

“Impractical, draconian,” says the opposition

The proposal escaped implementation due to resistance from opposition parties. The Congress party has called the bill 'against democracy and the basic structure of the constitution'.

On December 12, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal slammed the BJP for its 'misplaced' priorities. “The country needs one nation, one education, one nation, one healthcare system, not one nation, one election. The BJP's misplaced priorities,” Kejrwal said in a post on X.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin also expressed his opposition and termed the proposal as 'draconian' and 'anti-democratic'.

“The Union Cabinet has approved the introduction of the draconian 'One Nation, One Election Bill' in Parliament. This impractical and anti-democratic move will erase regional voices, erode federalism and disrupt governance. Stand up #INDIA! Let us resist this attack on Indian democracy with all our strength,” Stalin said.

The opposition's argument against the proposal is that it will marginalize regional players (parties). This will lead to a homogenization of political discourse and make it difficult for smaller parties and states to present their ideas to the nation, they say.

The first four general elections in India saw simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The Congress Party was then in power at both the national and state levels. Therefore, it was possible until the fourth general election in 1967.

Later, the elections were held separately due to the advancement of the Lok Sabha polls by the Congress. Currently, the Lok Sabha elections coincide with four state assembly elections: Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.