- Recently, Indonesia’s experience with simultaneous elections has renewed global debate on electoral reforms, offering lessons as India considers the feasibility of One Nation One Election.
About One Nation One Election
- Meaning: ONOE proposes synchronising the election cycles of the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies so that both are conducted together.
- Scope: It excludes elections to Panchayats, municipalities, and by-elections from the synchronised election framework.
- Single Voting: Voters cast their votes for Lok Sabha and State Assembly representatives on the same day, either in one phase or in phased elections.
Historical Background
- Early Practice: India held simultaneous Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections during the first four general elections (1951–52 to 1967).
- Cycle Break: Premature dissolution of several State Assemblies (1968–69) and the Lok Sabha in 1970 disrupted the synchronised election cycle.
- Staggered Polls: Since then, elections have been conducted at different times across states, resulting in frequent electoral cycles.
Constitutional Framework and Proposed Amendments (ONOE)
- Committee Recommendation: The High-Level Committee (2023–24), chaired by Ram Nath Kovind, proposed ONOE to synchronise elections for administrative efficiency.
- Legislative Bill: The proposal was formalised as the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, to align State Assembly tenures with the Lok Sabha cycle.
- Article 82A: Empowers the President to notify an “appointed date”, curtailing State Assembly terms to maintain election synchronisation.
- Residual Elections: Prematurely dissolved legislatures will have new Houses serve only the remaining term, avoiding a fresh five-year mandate.
- ECI Power: The Election Commission can defer State elections if simultaneous polls are impractical, requiring amendments to Articles 83, 172, and 327.
Advantages of ONOE
- Cost Saving: ONOE could save ₹4,500 crore by reducing repeated security, logistics, and polling staff deployment.
- Governance Continuity: Reduces MCC delays, ensuring uninterrupted implementation of schemes like PMAY and Swachh Bharat.
- Administrative Efficiency: Less frequent elections ease strain on EVMs, VVPATs, and security forces. E.g., 2024 polls required 82 days of phased deployment.
- Voter Convenience: Single-cycle voting simplifies participation, especially in large states like Uttar Pradesh.
- Turnout Boost: Consolidated polls can increase voter turnout and participation, showing scope for improvement. E.g., 2024 multi-phase elections saw ~67%.
Constitutional and Fiscal Concerns
- ONOE aims to synchronise elections, but raises serious constitutional, governance, federal, and fiscal accountability concerns.
Democracy & Federalism
- Parliamentary Accountability: Fixed cycles may reduce legislative control; early-dissolution safeguards under Articles 75, 164, 83, and 172 could be undermined.
- State Autonomy: Simultaneous elections may truncate state mandates, conflicting with federalism (S.R. Bommai vs Union of India, 1994).
- President’s Rule Risk: Synchronisation could increase the use of Article 356, centralise power and limit state independence.
Governance & Institutional
- Residual Mandate: Unexpired-term governments are short-lived, creating policy instability and governance gaps.
- Voter Franchise: Truncated tenures may reduce public participation & undermine electoral legitimacy.
- Caretaker Constraints: Union-level caretaker governments face financial and parliamentary limits under Articles 112–117 and 85.
Economic Concerns
- Marginal Savings: Combined elections cost ~₹4,500 crore, only 0.03% of GDP, limiting fiscal justification.
- Resource Strain: Simultaneous polls require additional EVMs, VVPATs, and security personnel, weakening administrative efficiency.
- Committee Recommendation: Justice Kurian Joseph Committee (2026) and the Tamil Nadu government advise withdrawing ONOE, focusing on better electoral management.
Way Forward
- Phased Implementation: Gradually synchronise elections in phases by grouping states instead of implementing full ONOE at once.
- Stability Reforms: Introduce measures such as a constructive vote of no confidence (as in Germany) to ensure government stability.
- Political Consensus: Build broad agreement among political parties and states since ONOE affects the federal structure.
- Institutional Safeguards: Establish clear rules for election deferral, President’s Rule, and unexpired-term legislatures.
- Electoral Reforms: Strengthen campaign finance rules, transparency, and political accountability alongside structural changes.
“Elections safeguard democracy, not merely administration.” Gradual, consensus-driven reforms with strong institutional safeguards can balance efficiency, accountability, & federalism in India’s electoral system.
Reference: The Hindu
UPSC Mains PYQs – Theme – One Nation, One Election (ONOE)
- [UPSC 2024 10M] Examine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees with particular reference to the “one nation – one election” principle.
- [UPSC 2017 10M] ‘Simultaneous election to the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies will limit the amount of time and money spent in electioneering, but it will reduce the government’s accountability to the people’ Discuss.
PMF IAS Pathfinder for Mains – Question 578
Approach
- Introduction: Write a brief introduction about One Nation, One Election (ONOE).
- Body: Write about the benefits and risks of the One Nation, One Election (ONOE) proposal, particularly in relation to constitutional design and democratic representation, and the way forward.
- Conclusion: Focus on a gradual implementation of ONOE with electoral reform to ensure an efficient and accountable electoral system.
