Modi Vision of ‘One Nation one Election’ Bill approved in Cabinet

Cabinet nod to Ram Nath Kovind-led panel report on One Nation One Election

By Ranbir Hanse On Sep 23, 2024

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi-led central government approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ – aligning polls for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Wednesday.

The report of a high-level committee pitching for simultaneous polls across the country was placed before the Union Cabinet on Wednesday for approval.

The committee, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, has recommended amending the last five articles of the Constitution to enable the holding of simultaneous polls in the country.The report was submitted to President Droupadi Murmu in March this year, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. A bill to this effect is likely to be introduced in Parliament during the upcoming winter session, according to reports

The report lays down a roadmap for the implementation of simultaneous elections in India. The committee had recommended conducting concurrent elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies as the first phase, to be followed by synchronised local body polls within a 100-day period.

‘One Nation, One Election’ basically means holding elections to Lok Sabha, all the state assemblies, and local bodies – municipalities and panchayats, together.

2- Have simultaneous polls been held before?

The first four general elections of India were simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The Congress party was in power at both the national and state levels then.

As things stand, India today faces five to six elections each year. If municipal and panchayat elections are also included, the number of elections will increase manifold.

As happened in 2024, the Lok Sabha elections coincide with just four state assembly elections – Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.

Why ‘One Nation, One Election?’

‘One Nation, One Election’ has been discussed, supported and opposed by political parties for quite some time now.

Those who support it argue that frequent elections burden the government exchequer. Also, asynchronous elections lead to disruption of government machinery causing hardship to citizens.

The frequent use of government officials and security forces adversely affects the discharge of their duties and frequent imposition of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) causes policy paralysis and slows down the pace of the developmental programmes, say those who support the idea.

The Modi Push

PM Modi has been a strong proponent of the ‘One Nation, One Election.’ In his Independence Day speech this year, Modi again called for an end to the ‘disruption’ caused by frequent elections that, he said, was hindering the country’s progress.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had also listed the policy as a promise in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The Law Commission of India is expected to release its own report on the subject soon, according to reports.

The high-level panel?

In September 2023, the Union government constituted a six-member panel led by former President Kovind to ‘examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections.

The other members of the panel are Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission chairman NK Singh, former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash Kashyap and senior advocate Harish Salve.

The panel held 65 meetings at Jodhpur Officer’s Hostel in New Delhi as on March 10, 2024, before submitting its report to President Droupadi Murmu in March this year, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

The report was placed before the Union Cabinet on Wednesday where it was approved.

Common Voter ID card

The panel also recommended amendments to the Constitution to enable the Election Commission of India to prepare a single electoral roll and EPIC in consultation with the State Election Commissions.