One Nation, One Election (ONOE) is a proposal under consideration by the Government of India to synchronise all elections in the country either on a single day or within a specific time frame, with an objective of cutting election cost. One of its most notable proposals is to simultaneously conduct elections to the Lok Sabha & state legislative assemblies of all 28 states & 8 union territories. For the purpose of ONOE, MoS Law & Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Lok Sabha that the bill further to amend the Constitution of India on 17 December 2024, the purposed bill was referred to Joint Parliamentary Committee on 19 December 2024 after being passed in the Lok Sabha with 269 votes being in favour of the bill and 198 votes against passing the motion.
History
The years 1951-52, 1962 and 1967 witnessed simultaneous elections dating back the concept of one nation one election to the early years of Indian Independence. This process was only discontinued after the 1967 elections due to the premature dissolution of a few state assemblies and Lok Sabha in 1970. Since then, the elections are being conducted separately which is only leading to increased costs.
Recommendations Earlier
Law Commission of India (170th Report, 1999): Advocated simultaneous elections, emphasizing the reduction of election-related disruptions and costs.
Parliamentary Standing Committee (2015): Highlighted the benefits of ONOE, including curbing electoral expenses and ensuring uninterrupted governance.
NITI Aayog Report (2017): Proposed a roadmap to reintroduce ONOE.
Advantages
Cost Reduction: It could save money by eliminating the need for separate election cycles. For example, the 2024 Loksabha elections cost a total of around Rs 1 lakh Cr in comparison to Rs 10 Cr of the first LS Election.
Focus on Long-Term Governance: It encourages politicians to prioritize long-term governance over short-term gains.
Increased Voter Turnout: Voters are less fatigued, as they only participate once every few years, potentially boosting voter turnout.
Level Playing Field: Smaller parties can compete more effectively with larger ones due to reduced overall election expenses.
Efficient Use of Security Forces: It allows security forces to be deployed more efficiently for other purposes.
Challenges and complexities of simultaneous elections
Overshadowing regional issues: Conducting elections simultaneously to the Lok Sabha and all State assemblies would result in national issues overshadowing regional and State specific issues.
Force Deployment: Arrangement of police or para military forces to maintain law and order situation during such simultaneous elections will be a mammoth task.
Impact on the Regional parties: Simultaneous elections may create a system where National political parties would have a significant advantage over regional parties.
Political accountability: Frequent elections hold lawmakers accountable, while fixed terms may provide unwarranted stability without performance scrutiny challenging democratic principles.
Concerns Regarding Federalism: Constitutional Amendments concerning the term of the state legislative assemblies under Article 172 can be carried out without ratification by states. Thus, opinion and say of States is reduced.
Logistical Issues: Organizing ONOE would require significant resources, including a vast supply of electronic voting machines and trained personnel to oversee the process.
Amendments Needed
The implementation of the One Nation, One Election policy is not feasible within the current constitutional framework. To enable this policy, certain essential amendments to the Constitution are necessary, including:
Article 83: Concerning the duration of the Houses of Parliament, amendments are required to fix the tenure and timing for the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
Article 85: Pertaining to sessions, prorogation, and dissolution of Parliament, clear guidelines must be established to prevent arbitrary or ambiguous dissolution of sessions.
Article 172: Governing the duration of State Legislatures, amendments are needed to synchronize their tenure with that of the Lok Sabha.
Article 174: Similar to Article 85, this article deals with sessions, prorogation, and dissolution of State Legislatures. Amendments are required to standardize procedures and timelines.
The Lok Sabha election in India is already the biggest even of democracy all over the world. To add the state legislature elections to it is not just a matter of regular debate. It is a gigantic step and for that nationwide consensus is needed. Discussions among the political parties with special attention to the regional parties is the need of the hour. Upholding the governing principles of national integrity, popular plurality and cooperative federalism must be the sole purpose of such a mammoth shift in the course of our democracy.
