One nation one election

"Hits and misses in the one nation, one election idea" Milan Vaishnav "Targeted reforms of the electoral process can preserve the strengths of India's vibrant, multi-level democracy" "Over the past decade, the Narendra Modi government has embraced a series of "One Nation" policies aimed at replacing India's diverse patchwork of state-specific policies with uniform, national schemes. From the Goods and Services Tax ("One Nation, One Tax) to the portability of subsidised rations ("One Nation, One Ration Card"), the impulse has been toward centrali sation and standardisation. Now, the government is pursuing one of the most controversial of these projects: One nation, one election. This proposal seeks to replace India's staggered electoral calendar with simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies. The iden has featured in Modi's speeches for years but was given a boost in March 2024, when a high-level com mittee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind endorsed the iden. In December, the government introduced the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill to give the Election Commis sion of India (ECT) the authority to implement such a system. The Bill is currently being reviewed by a joint parliamentary committee. Modi and his BJP colleagues have long argued thait frequent polls discupt governance, drain resources, and induce short-term populism. India's current electoral calendar ensures that some part of the country is almost always in campaign mode. Proponents argue that constant elections constitute an undue burden on the State's coffers. And the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)-an informal set of norms to ensure a level-playing field during the cam paign period-is cited as a source of "policy paralysis". There is obvious appeal to aligning India's staggered election calendar, but there are less disruptive, less dramatic solutions to the underlying problems the government wishes to solve. The case for simultaneity. The proposed Constitutional amendment would overhaul India's electoral framework. It introduces a one-time transitory provision to dissolve all state assemblies, so their elections coincide with the next Lok Sabha polls, thereafter locking both into a single five-year cycle. If a government state or national dis solves mid-term, fresh elections would be held only to complete the remainder of the original term." "First the essence of parliamentary gov ernment is that the executive is conting ously accountable to the legislature and, by extension, the public. A shift toward a sys tem resembling fixed terms upends this. Second, standardising state and national elections on a single cycle creates fewer opportunities for public participation and debate. The current staggered system of elections allows voters to act as a check on a dominant national party. Finally, the amendment gives the ECT broad discretion to delay polls with few lim its and without specifying who governs in the interim. This opens the door to foor to greater central control through President's Rule." Milan Vaishnav is senior fellow and director of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace But going by Election Commission helping government in the recent irregularities by election commission, best to realise that the intentions are different from that stated by government and ONOE is a miss. more  

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2024/columnists/onop---a-bold-reform-or-a-political-gamble-.html "Though momentum is building for simultaneous elections, some questions need answers. They include whether Modi has the required two-thirds majority to pass the bill in Parliament. Is there a political consensus? Will the Opposition come on board? Is the timing of the bill right? Most Opposition parties reject the idea of simultaneous polls. They include the Congress, the Left parties, the Trinamool Congress, and regional and smaller parties." Voters vote similarly would tend to vote the same party in the various levels, district, state and national in concurrent polls. Having won in lok sabha BJP would get Vindhan Sabha and panchayat election wins, and only benefit, democracy would not. Thus benefit, saving cost, and saving the nation an alternative choice. Multiple layered elections provide diversity in our unity. Thus Opposition rightly fears BJP controversial push for one nation one election. If Congress was ruling, would BJP want one nation one election? No! more  

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