'One Nation, One Election' is a proposal under consideration by the Government of India to synchronise elections for the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) and all state assemblies. It intends to hold these elections simultaneously, either on a single day or within a specific time frame.
History
The first few general elections post-independence were held simultaneously, with the state legislative assembly elections. While the practice continued till 1967, due to the premature dissolution of some state assemblies in 1968 and 1969, the system of simultaneous elections was disrupted. Since 2014, Narendra Modi, who was then Chief Minister of Gujarat, has been espousing simultaneous elections stating that it will reduce wastage of public money, and will ensure the smooth flow of development work, which otherwise gets arrested when the model code of conduct is in force.
In August 2018, the Law Commission of India released its draft report on simultaneous elections. In order to conduct such simultaneous elections, it said that there needs to be made appropriate amendments to the constitution, the Representation of the People Act 1951, and the Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. It said that the Constitution, the Representation of the People’s Act 1951 and the Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies would require appropriate amendments to conduct simultaneous polls. The commission also recommended it receive ratification from at least 50% of the States. However, with respect to the advantages of holding simultaneous polls, the commission said that it will lead to the saving of public money, reducing the strain on the administrative setup and security forces, timely implementation of government policies, and administrative focus on development activities rather than electioneering.
Reasoning and Need
According to an estimate deliberated in a parliamentary panel discussion, elections to the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies cost the Election Commission of India more than Rs 4,500 crore. This is besides the declared and undeclared poll expenses by candidates and political parties. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in its 79th report on “Feasibility of Holding Simultaneous Elections to the House of People (Lok Sabha) and State Assemblies, 2015” recommended holding of polls in two phases, which it said was a more practical method of approaching the subject. The first phase could be held in November 2016, said the report, which was tabled the previous year. Polls to all state legislatures whose terms end before or after a time period of six months to one year from the election date, could be brought together. So, the parliamentary panel was of the view that the term of some assemblies would have to be shortened, while the remaining could be extended in order to hold simultaneous elections.
High-Level Committee
On 2 September 2023, the Government of India issued a notification constituting a high-level committee to examine the issue of simultaneous elections. This notification states: