Cabinet nod to bills on simultaneous elections

Context: The One Nation One Election Bill has been approved by the Union Cabinet
for the Parliament. The bill proposes to hold simultaneous elections for the
Lok Sabha, State Legislative assemblies and local body elections across the
whole country. This proposal aims to align the election process leading to cost
cutting and better governance by eliminating election related disruptions. This
bill was analysed by a high-level committee chaired by President Ram Nath
Kovind. While the opposition is still against this bill, a major number of
leaders are looking at the benefits and consistently this bill could bring. In
this article, we will look at this bill and the benefits and significance of
this proposal.

One Nation One Election Bill

·       Overview: Also known as
simultaneous elections, one nation one election bill aims to hold all the
elections including that of Lok Sabha, State Elections and panchayat that is
the local body electrons all at once. In this manner, voters will be able to
cast their votes for both the Lok Sabha and State elections all on the same
day.

·       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. The concept of one nation one election has been revived recently with
the aim of aligning India’s electoral process.

·       One
Nation One Election Bill Advantages: Cost Reduction - It
could save money by eliminating the need for separate election cycles.

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.

·       One
Nation One Election Bill Disadvantages: Synchronization
Challenges - Synchronizing elections in a diverse democracy like India can
be difficult, particularly if governments lose confidence in their assemblies.

Constitutional
and Federalism Issues - Its implementation may require constitutional
changes and could potentially challenge the federal nature of the Indian
political system.

Impact on Voter
Behaviour - Voters may confuse national and state issues in simultaneous elections,
blurring the distinctiveness of state-level politics.

Impact on
Regional Parties - It may favour larger national parties, potentially
disadvantaging regional parties.

Accountability
Concerns - Fixed terms without the threat of election could reduce government
accountability and encourage autocratic tendencies.

·       Implementations
of the Bill: 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:

Ø  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.

Ø  Article 85 - Pertaining to
sessions, prorogation, and dissolution of Parliament, clear guidelines must be
established to prevent arbitrary or ambiguous dissolution of sessions.

Ø  Article 172 - Governing the
duration of State Legislatures, amendments are needed to synchronize their
tenure with that of the Lok Sabha.

Ø  Article 174 - Like Article
85, this article deals with sessions, prorogation, and dissolution of State
Legislatures. Amendments are required to standardize procedures and timelines.

·       Challenges: While the One
Nation One Election implementation could significantly bring down the costs of
conducting the elections and align the administrative practices, there are a
few challenges that cannot be ignored:

Ø  Overshadowing
Regional Issues - Holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha
and all State Assemblies could lead to national issues dominating the
discourse, sidelining important regional and state-specific concerns.

Ø  Impact on
Regional Parties - Simultaneous elections may disproportionately
benefit national political parties, putting regional parties at a disadvantage
and potentially diluting their influence.

Ø  Political
Accountability - Frequent elections foster greater accountability among lawmakers by
subjecting them to regular public scrutiny. Fixed terms, on the other hand,
could provide stability at the cost of reduced performance evaluation,
challenging democratic ideals.

Ø  Federalism
Concerns - Amendments to the Constitution regarding the term of State Legislative
Assemblies under Article 172 can be enacted without requiring ratification by
the states, potentially limiting their role and undermining the federal
structure.

Ø  Logistical
Challenges - Implementing the One Nation, One Election policy would demand
substantial resources, including a vast number of electronic voting machines
and trained personnel to manage the extensive process efficiently.