Moving ahead with its “one country, one election” plan, the government on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of a high-level committee to hold simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner after a nationwide consensus building exercise. Home Minister Amit Shah praised the Cabinet decision, saying it would be a major step towards historic electoral reform in the country. Various opposition parties, however, say that holding simultaneous elections is not practical. The government says that many political parties are already in agreement on the issue. He said that due to the widespread support from the people of the country on this issue, even those parties which are against it till now may feel pressure to change their stand.
What did the Information and Broadcasting Minister say
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, while informing about the approval of the Union Cabinet to the proposal, said that an implementation group will be formed to take forward the recommendations of the committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind and detailed discussions will be held at various forums across the country in the next few months. Vaishnav said, “We will try to build a consensus in the next few months. Our government believes in building a consensus on issues that affect democracy and the country in the long run. This is a subject that will strengthen our country.” Responding to a question related to the stand of opposition parties, the minister said, “The opposition may feel internal pressure (about 'one country, one election') as more than 80 percent of the respondents who responded during the consultation process, especially the youth, have given their positive support.”
When will the recommendations be implemented?
Asked by reporters when the recommendations could be implemented and whether a bill would be introduced in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, Vaishnaw refrained from giving a direct answer but said Shah has said the government will implement it in its current term. He said after the consultations are over, the implementation will be done in phases and the government's effort will be to build a consensus in the next few months. He said once the consultation process is over, the government will draft a bill, table it before the Cabinet and then take it to Parliament to hold simultaneous elections. Later, government sources said a bill or a set of bills would be introduced before Parliament.
JDU welcomed
Welcoming the Union Cabinet's decision, the Janata Dal (United), a key constituent of the NDA, said the move would rid the country of the need for frequent elections, reduce the burden on the exchequer and ensure continuity in policies. JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said “one country, one election” would have long-term consequences and would benefit the country immensely. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the idea of simultaneous elections was not practical and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was using it to divert attention from real issues in the Assembly polls. “It is not practical, it will not work. When elections come and they (BJP) do not find any issue to raise, they divert attention from real issues,” Kharge said at a press conference here.
Recommendation to create a common voter list and identity card
Simultaneous elections may be held after 2029
However, this will require some constitutional amendment bills that will need to be passed by Parliament. Some proposed amendments regarding a single voter list and a single voter ID card will require ratification by at least half of the states. Apart from this, the Law Commission may also submit its report on holding simultaneous elections soon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong supporter of holding simultaneous elections. Sources said the Law Commission may recommend simultaneous elections for the three levels of government – Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies like municipalities and panchayats from 2029 and a provision for forming a unity government in cases like a hung House. The issue of holding simultaneous elections under electoral reforms has been part of the BJP's election manifesto.
When were simultaneous elections held for the first time
The country had simultaneous elections between 1951 and 1967, but after that elections started being held at different times due to various reasons, including mid-term elections. A lot of effort will be required to hold all elections simultaneously, including holding some elections earlier and delaying some. Lok Sabha elections were held in May-June this year, while states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh also held assembly elections simultaneously with parliamentary elections. The assembly election process is still going on in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, while elections are also due in Mahadesh and Jharkhand later this year. Delhi and Bihar are among the states where elections are due in 2025.
Separate elections and separate tenures
The term of the current assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry will end in 2026, while the term of assemblies of Goa, Gujarat, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand will end in 2027. The term of state assemblies in Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Telangana will end in 2028. The term of the current Lok Sabha and the state assemblies going to simultaneous polls this year will end in 2029. In 1999, the then Law Commission had proposed holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and all assemblies every five years in its 170th report. A parliamentary committee had suggested simultaneous elections in two phases in its 79th report in 2015.
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