The high-level committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind has on March 14 submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu on ‘one nation, one election’ and recommended simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days. As such, 2029 could see simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in all states if the report is accepted by the government. A constitutional amendment bill can be brought by the new government post the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which does not need ratification from the states. The report has also recommended that in the event of a hung House, no-confidence motion or any such event, fresh elections may be held to constitute the new House – be it in Lok Sabha or state Assemblies.
The report says that when Parliament meets after this Lok Sabha election, an “appointed date” should be set to notify the move. The report says all state Legislative Assemblies constituted by state elections after the appointed date shall only be for the period up to the subsequent general elections in 2029. In effect, state governments formed between 2024 and 2028 will have a shorter term till the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, subsequent to which there will be automatic simultaneous Lok Sabha and state elections. For example, a state which holds an election in 2025 will see its government having a four-year-term while one that conducts an election in 2027 would only have a two-tear-term till 2029.
If the Centre decides to implement simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies in 2029, the process will start as soon as the 2024 Lok Sabha polls end and many state Assemblies will be dissolved in 2029 much before the end of their five-year term to facilitate simultaneous elections. To make sure that simultaneous polls do not run afoul of the Constitution, the committee has recommended amendments to Article 83 that deals with the duration of the Lok Sabha, and Article 172 that deals with the duration of a state Assembly. If the amendments are adopted, simultaneous polls will become a reality and the terms of most state governments will get truncated during the transition.
There is no denying that holding an election is an expensive exercise, given the huge cost that every single poll, be it that of Lok Sabha or Assembly, puts on the state exchequer. The huge amount of money spent on holding elections in a scattered manner can be used for greater development and better governance. In addition to this, bureaucratic and much of the government apparatus is required to be engrossed more in election-related duties throughout the year in case of scattered polls. While ‘one nation, one election’ could help save time, energy and money, the only drawback is that local or regional issues would vanish as national issues take centre stage.
