One Nation – One Election: Simultaneous Elections to Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mooted the idea of One Nation, One Election (ONOE) with the motto of conducting the Lok Sabha and the State Assenblies’ elections together, once in five years.

• However, the initiative will need a constitutional amendment, which will have to be ratified by 50 per cent of the states.
• There have been demands from various quarters regarding the conduct of elections to Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies together. Recently the Election Commission has said that it is logistically ready to conduct simultaneous election.

Positives of Simultaneous Elections

• Stability in governance as there will be lesser interruptions from model code of conducts which leads to paralysis in administration.
• Will help in reducing the massive expenditure- both government’s as well as that of candidates and parties.
• The diversion of manpower in terms of government officers and security personnel can be avoided.
• The expensive campaigning which consisting of posters, rallies blocking the road, accusations, etc. can be avoided.

Negatives of Simultaneous Elections

• This will undermine the will of the people. Political re alignments are part and parcel of a democracy. Artificially fixing of tenure of legislature is against the democratic ethos.
• May lead to reduced accountability among political parties to people. Political parties may become unresponsive and unrepresentative.
• Simultaneous elections tries to bring in a Presidential type of governance where the State Assemblies no longer can decide their own path and have to be in existence for 5 years with a minority party in power.
• Where there are coalitions there is bound to be political re-alignments which will consequently cause changes in the Assembly even leading to its early dissolution.