The high-level committee on “One Nation One Election” (ONOE), headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, submitted its report on simultaneous polls to President Droupadi Murmu on March 14. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also often talked about the need to synchronise the national and state elections to strengthen both the democratic structure and governance in India. In fact, in the initial decades after Independence, elections to the House of People and state legislative assemblies were simultaneous. However, in the course of time, dissolution of the Houses before the expiry of the tenure — both in the case of the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies (Under Articles 83 and 172 of the Constitution of India) and imposition of President’s Rule under Article 356 — disrupted the cycle.
Elections in the states and the Centre fell out of step, and successive governments made no systematic attempts to change the situation. Consequently, the present situation has evolved, and every year, several state elections are being conducted. It seems that Indian democracy has become the perpetual election cycle and elections have become an end unto themselves. This has several consequences for governance, financial resources, and democracy itself.
Given the size of India and its burgeoning population, even state elections are costly affairs involving elaborate logistic and security measures. Significant resources are directed towards conducting elections, which can be better utilised if elections are consolidated in a single process. The state of Uttar Pradesh had elections in 2022 involving massive deployment of administrative and security machinery. Now, in 2024, the same process will be repeated, this time for the Lok Sabha election. Simultaneous elections would have enabled efficient and economical utilisation of the resources apart from ensuring that the administration is more focused on governance than just managing elections every two years.
ONOE would also give political parties, especially those in the government, breathing space to focus on long-term policies instead of short-term populist measures. One of the major threats to the democratic process and ethos is electoral corruption. Of late, several parties have been promising freebies and populist measures instead of their governance track record during elections to manipulate voters. Simultaneous elections will curtail the scope for such irresponsible politics, which is already putting an unbearable strain on state resources and impairing growth prospects.
ONOE will also reduce election fatigue among voters, thus increasing active participation in the electoral process and ensuring higher voter turnout. The quality of a democracy depends on the discourse within it. Frequent polls and the highly competitive nature of Indian elections unfortunately lead to negative campaigning based on caste, religion and regional polarisation by several political actors. The issues of policy and governance often get sidelined, with attempts being made to charge up the electorate with emotional appeals and false propaganda. One can hope that simultaneous elections will reduce divisiveness and compel political parties and various actors to discuss their long-term vision and agenda for the betterment of their constituencies.
Any policy change or systemic reform invariably leads to some sections of society losing out on their privileges. Frequent elections act as a deterrent for political parties to form a consensus to undertake such an overhaul, even if they all agree on the importance of it. ONOE will enable the government to enact bold policy measures to address critical issues like pollution, and climate change and reforms like labour laws and agricultural laws, which might create short-term pain for long-term gain.
One of the several constraints on economic growth in India is the policy arbitrariness, inconsistency and socialist populism adopted by several sections of the political class to win elections. ONOE promotes stability in the government, which will improve governance and the business climate and boost investor confidence. Opponents of ONOE argue that it will undermine federalism. But simultaneous elections were the norm in the initial decades of the independence with no demonstrable damage to federalism. In fact, simultaneous elections may encourage a more cooperative federalism with national and state parties and governments working in close and synchronised alignment. It has greater potential for governments at different levels to collaborate more closely on policy implementation, as they would be elected at the same time and possibly for the same duration. It can lead to a more integrated approach to addressing national and state issues.
The concerns about regional issues getting overshadowed by national issues are also misplaced. Firstly, Indian voters have demonstrated time and again that they can distinguish between national, state and local elections, even if they are conducted simultaneously or at short intervals. Secondly, the reverse may also be true — parties may be forced to prioritise regional issues and concerns along with national issues. The result could be a more balanced political discourse as no political party, be it regional or national, can afford to be indifferent to national or regional issues.
One of the most important recommendations of the Kovind panel is that elections to municipalities and panchayats should be synchronised with the elections to the House of the People and state legislative assemblies and should be conducted within 100 days of national and state elections. It has the potential to finally systematise, revitalise and empower local governance, something which has eluded the third tier of the government. It will truly strengthen the grassroots democracy and empower the citizenry like never before. The report will undoubtedly serve as the basis of future discussions on the issue of One Nation, One Election.
The writer is National Vice-President, BJP youth wing
ONOE would give political parties breathing space to focus on long-term policies instead of short-term populist measures
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19.03.2024
The high-level committee on “One Nation One Election” (ONOE), headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, submitted its report on simultaneous polls to President Droupadi Murmu on March 14. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also often talked about the need to synchronise the national and state elections to strengthen both the democratic structure and governance in India. In fact, in the initial decades after Independence, elections to the House of People and state legislative assemblies were simultaneous. However, in the course of time, dissolution of the Houses before the expiry of the tenure — both in the case of the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies (Under Articles 83 and 172 of the Constitution of India) and imposition of President’s Rule under Article 356 — disrupted the cycle.
Elections in the states and the Centre fell out of step, and successive governments made no systematic attempts to change the situation. Consequently, the present situation has evolved, and every year, several state elections are being conducted. It seems that Indian democracy has become the perpetual election cycle and elections have become an end unto themselves. This has several consequences for governance, financial resources, and democracy itself.
Given the size of India and its burgeoning population, even state elections are costly affairs involving elaborate logistic and security measures. Significant resources are directed towards conducting elections, which can be better utilised if elections........
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