The Union cabinet has on September 18 approved the report from a high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind on the concept of ‘One Nation, One Election’. A bill to implement simultaneous elections is expected to be introduced in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. The idea of simultaneous elections dates back to the 1980s, and the last time such elections were held was in 1951-52, 1957, 1962, and 1967, before being disrupted by the early dissolution of some assemblies.
The Kovind-led committee submitted its report in March and proposed holding simultaneous polls in two phases. In the first phase, Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections will be conducted simultaneously, while the second phase will cover local body elections, within 100 days of general elections. It also recommended that the Election Commission of India work with state election authorities to create a common electoral roll and voter ID cards.
Simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections may take effect in 2029. According to the Kovind-led committee, if the Lok Sabha or a state Assembly gets dissolved before its term of five years because of a loss of majority on the floor of the House after the “appointed date”, fresh elections should be held. These will be “midterm elections” and the new government will last only for the remainder of the full term, called “unexpired term”. Currently, only Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha have Assembly elections coinciding with the Lok Sabha polls.
Conducting simultaneous elections could lead to significant financial savings. This approach would reduce the need for deploying poll officials and security forces multiple times a year, thereby lowering costs for both the public exchequer and political parties during campaigns. Holding elections at different times, results in the Election Code of Conduct being in effect more frequently. This situation can hinder the implementation of welfare schemes by both central and state governments.
However, implementing a synchronised electoral cycle presents constitutional and practical hurdles. It would require an amendment to the Constitution, which must be ratified by the governments of all states and union territories. Without amending certain key constitutional articles, the proposal could face legal challenges regarding its compliance with India’s federal structure. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that holding simultaneous elections is “impractical”.
‘One Nation, One Election’ is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea. But going by the numbers in the current Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the idea is set to face stiff resistance from the Opposition parties in passing the constitutional amendments. Already, the Opposition INDIA alliance has strongly opposed the proposed synchronised polls, raising concerns about the constitutional changes and its impact on federalism. The Modi government would have to work for consensus and unanimity in opinion among all parties in this regard.
