Opinion | One Nation One Election: Is India Ready?

Historical Background

When we go through the history we find that this concept is not new in our country.The concept of ‘One Nation, One Election, was the practice till 1967. However, the system faced disruption due to premature dissolution of some state assemblies in 1968 and 1969. As a result, simultaneous elections were no longer the norm.
The idea of ‘One Nation, One Election, came up again when the Union government, on 1st september, 2023, constituted a committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind to explore the feasibility of ‘One Nation, One Election, to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, either on a single day or within a specific time frame.

Need Of One Nation One Election (ONOE)

Keeping the past in mind, the current committee suggests the adopted of ‘ One Nation, One Election’ for various reasons cited below.

Cost Savings : With so many states, there’s always an election in some or other part of the country, leading to excessive expenditure in the process both by the election commission of India (ECI). Holding simultaneous elections would reduce the massive expenditure incurred while conducting separate elections every year, optimising resource allocation.

Administrative Efficiency:  ‘One Nation, One Election, has the potential to alleviate strain on the administrative system and security forces. Streamlining election schedules would enable more efficient utilisation of administrative resources and personnel.

Timely Policy Implementation : Synchronised elections facilitate timely implementation of government policies and initiatives. By eliminating the disruption caused by frquent election cycle, administrations can focus on governance and policy execution without interruptions.

Focus on Development Activities : ‘One Nation, One Election, enables governments to prioritise developmental activities over election compaigning.With reduced electoral distractions, administrations can concentrate efforts on infrastructure projects, social welfare programmes and other critical developmental initiatives.

Promotion Of Administrative Reforms : The stability provided by ‘ONOE’ offers conducive conditions for implementing administrative reforms.Governments can undertake structural changes and policy reforms with greater continuity and coherence, fostering long-term development objectives.

Disruption in Public Life : Frequent elections lead to disruption of normal public life and impact the functioning of essential services. The holding of public rallies disrupts road traffic and also leads to noise pollution.Such kind of disruptions would be limited only to a certain pre- determined period of time if elections are held simultaneously.

Continuity in Policy Decisions : The Modal Code of Conduct (MCC) comes to play just after the elections are announced by the Election Commission (EC). No new policy decisions are taken during elections due to the Model Code of Conduct. Therefore, key policy decisions get delayed both at the centre and in the states and local bodies.

Reduced Deployment of Security Forces : A large number of police personnel and paramilitary forces are engaged to ensure that elections are conductedq peacefully. This involves massive redeployment, involving huge costs.It also diverts key law enforcement personnel from their critical functions.Such deployment can be reduced with simultaneous elections.

Improved State Finances : Frequent have led to a situation where many state governments are broke. With a smaller number of elections, their finances could be in better shape.

Challenges in Holding Simultaneous Elections: While the idea seems to have great many positive impacts, there are some challenges that need to be tackled before the system of simultaneous elections is adopted.Some of these are

Against spirit of Democracy : Critics suggest that forcing simultaneous elections is against democracy because India is a multi-party democracy where elections are held for State Assemblies and the Lok Sabha separately. The voters are better placed to express their viting choices keeping in mind the two different governments which they would be electing by exercising their franchise.

Election Issues/Agendas : State and national elections are often fought on different sets of issues and agendas whereas in simultaneous elections, voters may end up giving adventage to one set over the other in ways they might not have done otherwise.

Feasibility : Article 83(2)  and 172 of the Constitution stipulates that the tenure of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies respectively will last for five years unless dissolved earlier and there can be circumstances, as in Article 356, wherein assemblies can be dissolved earlier. Therefore, the ‘ONOE’ plan cannot be implemented effectively.

Contradiction with Fedralism Principle and Centralisation : ‘One Nation, One Election’ assumes a unitary nation, contradicting India’s constitutional description as a ‘Union of States.’ This could erode states control over their electoral calenders, undermining their autonomy. Further, implementing ‘ONOE’ may centralise electoral processes, diminishing state governments autonomy.

Overshadowing the Regional interests : As the underlying issues of National and State polls are different, the present framework prevents the blending of issues, ensuring greater accountability.’ONOE’ dilutes the diverse state needs and priorities, wherein the constitutional rights and prerogatives of individuals could be infringed upon.

Cost Considerations : The Electoral Commission of india has highlighted that holding simultaneous elections will require adequate budget.A total of approximately Rs.9,284.15 crore will be required for the purchase of Electronic Voting Machines(EVM) and Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trails(VVPAT) along with the additional cost of replacing the machines for a period of every 15 years.Holding simultaneous elections will increase storage costs for collecting machines for elections.

Impact on Voter Behaviour : Some political parties argues that ‘ONOE’ may influence voter behaviour in such a way that voters will vote for state elections keeping national issues at the centre, which will enable larger national parties to win both state assembly and Lok Sabha elections.As a result, regional parties will be marginalised.

Lack of Accountability : Facing the voters more than once every 5 years increases the accountability of politicians and keeps them alert during elections, thereby boosting the economy at the grassroots level.

Way Forward :
The Outcome of ‘One Nation, One Election, has the potential to alter the fundamentals of democratic set-up and reset the federal structure.Thus, it is necessary to examine the legal issues at the earliest juncture. India can focus on the following points to enact ‘ONOE’ in future.

1- India should build consensus among all political parties and states on the need and feasibility of simultaneous elections.This could be done through dialogue, consultation and deliberation among various stakeholders.

2 – India can make amendments in the constitution, the Representation of People Act 1951, and the Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies to enable simultaneous elections.

3- It should invest in the  infrastructure and technology required for conducting simultaneous   elections, such as Electronic Voting Machine ( EVM), Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail(VVPAT) machines, poling booths, security personnel, etc.

4 -It can align the electoral cycles of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by either extending or curtailing their terms, as per a one-time constitutional amendment.

5- It should establish a legal framework to deal with situations such as non-confidence motions, premature dissolution of assemblies, hung parliaments, etc, that may arise during simultaneous elections.

6- India should create awareness among the voters about the benefits and challenges of simultaneous elections, that they are able to exercise their franchise without confusion or inconvenience.

Holding of simultaneous elections is theoretically very attractive but practically there are a lot of challenges to be met.It’s desirable but is not going to be easy as the constitution and other laws would need to be amended for implementing simultaneous elections.However, it should be done in such a way that it doesn’t hurt the basic structure of democracy and fedralism.Moreover if india indeed opts for ‘One Nation, One Election’, the world’s biggest democracy will set another unique example.

UMAR FAROOQ
Teacher Zone Villagam
KUPWARA
email; bhatfarooq330@gmail.com