Reasons that sound good

It must be acknowledged that when it comes to delivering on promises on crucial issues closest to its heart, the BJP has proved it does walk the talk with the latest being the proposal for holding simultaneous elections to parliament and state assemblies. The idea of simultaneous elections has been mooted in the past by the Election Commission of India (1982) and the Law Commission (1999). The BJP has only pushed farther on the issue. The Modi government had disclosed on September 1,2023 that it has constituted a High Level Committee(HLC) led by former President Ram Nath Kovind to study the proposal and submit its recommendations. Accordingly, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the HLC submitted its report on ‘One Nation, One Poll’ to President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 14. The 18,626 page-long report is an outcome of extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts and research work of 191 days, since the committee’s constitution on September 1, 2023. A majority of NDA partners in several states have given their nod for holding simultaneous polls. The HLC maintained that there was overwhelming support for holding simultaneous elections which “will spur development process and social cohesion will deepen the foundation of our democracy. Municipal elections will be held within 100 days after conclusion of the simultaneous polls. If at all, the simultaneous polls will be held only in 2029 and that all state assemblies which are formed in subsequent months will have tenure only till 2029, the report said. . However the task ahead would be a tedious one for the Bill to be passed in Parliament. There has to be an amendment to the 1951 Representative Act. The government must garner two-third majority in Parliament to pass the Bill. The proposal must be passed by 50 percent of the states. One Nation, One Election,’ the Parliament and state Assemblies will have to be dissolved; and to allow that, five other Articles will have to be amended. In that scenario, re-election will have to be held mid-way, then what happens to the state Assemblies? Moreover, to implement ‘One Nation One Elections,’ all the election cycles will have to be reset. The issue is contentious and has divided the nation with a majority of NDA partners being in favour. It may be recalled that during the first four general election cycles in 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967, the elections to the Lok Sabha and State legislative assemblies were held simultaneously. However, due to the subsequent premature dissolution of the Lok Sabha on seven occasions and the premature dissolution of legislative assemblies on various occasions, the elections to the Lok Sabha and various State assemblies are held at different times. In 2019, only four States had their assembly elections, along with the Lok Sabha. If the country goes for One Nation One Election it will saving of huge Government money. The disadvantage is that elections for state assemblies and Lok Sabha are fought on different issues. Regional parties target local issues while national parties target national issues. The idea of ‘One Nation, One Election’ will probably be approved by Parliament with a two-third majority. The biggest apprehension for the proposal is that elections will become presidential and will concentrate power in the hands of one person. The way forward is for states to hold a referendum on the proposal in order to obtain a clear mandate.