The first elections of independent India were held in 1951-52. At that time, elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies were held simultaneously. This tradition continued until 1957, 1962 and 1967.
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In 1969, the government of Bihar Chief Minister Bhola Paswan Shastri was reduced to minority due to defection and the assembly was dissolved. In 1970, Indira Gandhi also conducted the Lok Sabha elections 11 months in advance. Due to this, the central and state elections went back and forth.
Now this tradition can start again in 2029. According to reports, the Modi cabinet has approved the bill to implement one country, one election. The bill may be presented in Parliament next week. Many opposition leaders have raised these questions.
Why does Modi government want one election, will opposition parties be able to stop it, what are the advantages and disadvantages; We will understand in today’s explainer…
Question 1: What is ‘One Nation One Election’? answer: At present in India, state assembly and country’s Lok Sabha elections are held at different times. One Nation One Election means that elections for Lok Sabha, Assemblies and civic bodies should be held simultaneously in the entire country. That is, voters will cast their votes on the same day, at the same time or in a phased manner to elect members of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Local body elections should also be held on the same day.
Question 2: What has been done so far for One Nation One Election? answer: After Modi government came to power in 2014, discussion on One Election started…
Question 3: What suggestions did the Kovind panel give on One Nation One Election? answer: Former President Ramnath Kovind’s panel gave 5 suggestions…
- The tenure of all state assemblies should be extended till the next Lok Sabha elections i.e. 2029.
- In case of a hung assembly (no one has a majority), and a no-confidence motion, fresh elections can be held for the remaining 5-year term.
- In the first phase, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections can be held simultaneously, after that in the second phase, local body elections can be held within 100 days.
- The Election Commission will prepare a single voter list and voter ID card in consultation with the state election authorities for the Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body elections.
- The Kovind panel has recommended advance planning of equipment, manpower and security forces for holding simultaneous elections.
Question 4: What will happen next after cabinet approval? answer: According to experts, the central government may present the bill in Parliament next week. The government wants to build a consensus on this bill. The bill from Parliament will be sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee i.e. JPC for discussion. JPC will discuss this bill with representatives of all political parties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the House after the cabinet meeting.
The Parliament of India consists of two houses – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The main function of both the houses is to make legislation or laws. For this the bill is first presented in the House. Then it is discussed, after which it is passed with everyone’s consent or voting. After the approval of the President it becomes law.
Simultaneous elections will require amendment in many provisions of the Constitution, hence the One Nation One Election Bill will be introduced as ‘Constitution Amendment Bill’. It must be passed by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting in both the Houses.
Question 5: Will one election be implemented in the country by 2029 or are there some obstacles in it? answer: According to CSDS Professor Sanjay Kumar, if there is a need to take consent from other states, then most of the non-BJP governments will oppose it. Even if it is possible to make a law only by getting it passed by the Parliament, there will be many difficulties. Like- when should elections be held simultaneously? What will happen to the states where elections have just been held? Will these governments be dismissed?
Sanjay Kumar says,
There are going to be many legal hurdles. It is not possible to solve this problem on legal grounds. For this, consent of other states is very important. However, the differences are so great that this does not seem possible.
At the same time, the Election Commission will have to make huge preparations to conduct simultaneous elections in the entire country. It is necessary to manage resources and logistics for conducting all elections. This includes preparations like EVM, security, deployment of employees and publicity.
Political expert Vijay Trivedi says,
If the census starts in 2025, it will continue till 2026. After that, delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies also has to be done. Due to which changes in the seats of Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies are inevitable.
If the central government deals with all these situations, then One Nation One Election can be held by 2029.
Question 6: It is difficult to implement One Nation One Election, yet why does the government want to implement it? Answer: According to Vijay Trivedi, BJP can weaken small parties including the opposition through One Nation One Election. Opposition parties have less money, forces and workers for election management. Due to which he may face difficulty in contesting Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously.
Sanjay Kumar says that ‘before passing the bill in the cabinet, the government must have definitely calculated how difficult it is to implement One Nation One Election. As soon as BJP brings this bill in Parliament, all opposition parties will oppose it.
Senior journalist Rashid Kidwai said on the intentions of BJP,
Whatever work PM Modi does, his intention is to get maximum publicity. Understand it this way, even though not much has changed in Kashmir after the abolition of Article 370 of the Constitution, PM Modi has established his influence in the country. He gave this message to the public that the Central Government has done a great job. A large population in the country belongs to the middle class, asking them to save expenses will increase the popularity of the government.
Question-7: What could be the political intention of BJP behind One Nation One Election? Answer: Vijay Trivedi says that PM Modi’s face is the strongest for the Centre. If assembly elections are also held along with Lok Sabha, then BJP can benefit from it. Especially in cow belt states like UP, MP and Rajasthan.
However, in the long term, this pattern may also benefit the opposition parties, who will have a big leader with national appeal. Some interesting things came to light in a study by IDFC Institute, a think tank on public-policy issues…
- If Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are held simultaneously, 77% of the voters vote for the same party in both places.
- If there is a gap of 6 months between Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the probability of voting for the same party reduces from 77% to 61%.
- If there is a gap of more than 6 months between the two elections, the probability of voting for the same party reduces to less than 61%.
Question 8: What are the arguments being given in support and against One Nation One Election? Answer: Different arguments are being given in support and against this question…
arguments in support Supporters of One Nation One Election say that elections are held in 5 to 6 states every year. This creates obstacles in the development work of the country. Giving the example of Odisha, he said that since 2004, Assembly and Lok Sabha elections were held simultaneously there, but the results remained different. There the code of conduct is applicable for a very short period, due to which there is less disruption in the functioning of the government as compared to other states.
If the elections for the Assemblies and Lok Sabha of the entire country are held simultaneously, then this will reduce the expenditure on elections. A report of the Law Commission came in August 2018 before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It was said that if Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are held simultaneously in 2019, it will increase the expenditure by Rs 4,500 crore. This expense is because more EVMs will have to be installed. It was also said that if the process of holding simultaneous elections goes ahead, then the expenditure would increase by Rs 1,751 crore in 2024. That means, gradually this extra expense would also reduce.
arguments against At the national level, country and state issues differ. If elections are held simultaneously, there is a possibility that the voters’ decision will be affected. If elections are held once in 5 years, the accountability of the government towards the public will reduce. In the present situation, the parties winning the Lok Sabha elections fear that if they do not work well then there will be problems in the Assembly.
At the same time, what will happen if the Lok Sabha is dissolved before 5 years? Because till now the Lok Sabha has been dissolved 6 times before 5 years, whereas once its tenure was extended for 10 months. In such a situation, separate elections will start taking place.
Question 9: What has been taken from which countries in the One Nation One Election report? answer: Before preparing the report of One Country One Election, the Kovind Committee studied the election process of 7 countries…
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Research cooperation- Ayush Aggarwal
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Read other election related news
Claim- One Nation-One Election Bill approved by Cabinet: Will be brought in Parliament next week, if passed, simultaneous elections will be held across the country by 2029.
The proposal of one country, one election has been approved by the Union Cabinet. News agency PTI has given this news quoting sources. It says that the bill can be presented in Parliament next week. Read the full news…