One Nation One Election: Cost, Viability & Federalism

It is generally remarked that India is perennially in election mode. The country witnesses elections to about 5-7 State Assemblies every year. Adding to this the elections held to panchayats, municipalities, bye elections, etc. the number of elections would increase substantially per year. Such frequent electoral cycles negatively impact administrative and developmental activities in the poll bound regions.

• Thus a serious need has been felt to evolve a mechanism for ending this frequent cycle of elections. Law Commission has also recommended holding simultaneous elections to state assemblies and the Parliament. The President and Prime Minister have also pitched their support for the idea at various public forums.

What is One Nation One Election?

One Nation One Election or Simultaneous Elections ideally means that elections to all the three tiers of Governments take place in a synchronized and co-ordinated manner and a voter casts his/her vote for electing members for all tiers of the Government on a single day.

Need of One Nation One Election

• Impact on Governance due to Model Code of Conduct: During the imposition of the model code, except for the routine administrative activities, other development programmes, welfare schemes, capital projects, etc. remain largely suspended till the time the model code is applicable. It puts on hold the entire development programme and activities.
• Huge Costs: Frequent elections lead to huge expenditures by various stakeholders on account of conduct, control and supervision of elections. Besides the government, candidates contesting elections and political parties also incur huge expenditures.
• Requirements of Manpower: Conducting elections is a mammoth, complex and time consuming activity. Huge numbers of polling officials as well as armed forces are deployed to ensure smooth, peaceful and impartial polls. Such armed police force could otherwise be better deployed for other internal security purposes. Over 2.7 lakh paramilitary personnel along with over 20 lakh state police personnel and home guards were deployed for 2019 general elections over seven phases.
  • It also raises the question of viability in conducting simultaneous elections at the national level, in all the states and municipalities and panchayats in a single phase.
• Disrupts Public Life: Frequent elections lead to disruption of normal public life and impact the functioning of essential services. Holding of political rallies disrupts road traffic and also leads to noise pollution. If simultaneous elections are held, this period of disruption would be limited to a certain pre-determined period of time.
• Frequent Caste and Communal Issues: According to former Chief Election Commissioner, SY Qureshi, elections are polarising events which have accentuated casteism, communalism, corruption and crony capitalism. If the country is perpetually on election mode, there is no respite from these evils.

There have been demands from various quarters regarding the conduct of elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies simultaneously. The Election Commission has said that it is logistically ready to conduct simultaneous election.

Issues of Federalism

It has been argued that Simultaneous Elections would harm the federal democratic structure of the Indian polity. The following question arise in this context which remain unaddressed-

• How would terms of Assemblies/Lok Sabha be synchronized for the first time?
• Would it be arrpopriate to extend or curtail the existing terms of some State Assemblies?
• If elections are held simultaneously, what would happen in case the ruling party or coalition loses majority in between its term in a state assembly?
• Should the term of Lok Sabha and assemblies be fixed?
• The scope for regional parties, reflecting local aspirations and issues will get limited, which can potentially reverse the process of deepening democracy.
• Simultaneous elections would benefit larger national parties at the cost of state/regional parties in case of a national wave in favour of large national parties.

Positives of Simultaneous Elections

It will ensure stability in governance as there will be lesser interruptions due to enforcement of model code of conduct, which leads to paralysis in administration.

• It will help in reducing the massive expenditure- both government’s as well as that of candidates and parties.
• It will help in avoiding the diversion of manpower- security personnel and civil staff- from their primary duties during elections.
• It will help to minimize disruption in normal public life created due to political rallies and sharpening of caste, religious and communal divide by politicians to garner vote.

Negatives of Simultaneous Elections

It may undermine the will of the people. Political realignments are part and parcel of a democracy and artificially fixing of tenure of legislature is against the democratic ethos.

• It may lead to reduced accountability of political parties to people. Political parties may become unresponsive and unrepresentative.
• Simultaneous elections seek to bring in a Presidential type of governance where the autonomy of State Assemblies will decline.
• Assembly elections are fought on local issues and in true spirit of federalism, parties and leaders are judged in context of their work done in state. Clubbing them with general election could lead to a situation where national issues would be canvassed by regional issues.
• There will be a logistical challenge as simultaneous elections demand massive increase in number of electronic voting machines and voter verifiable paper audit trail.