The “One Nation, One Election” idea has provoked a significant amount of discussion in India with proponents on one side and critics on the other. Valid reasons being there, however, there are many compelling reasons that suggest synchronizing national and state elections can be the way forward for the country. Here are seven key reasons why this approach could be a step forward.
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One Nation One Health CardNow country needs One Nation One Election pic.twitter.com/xJr0eSR1sy
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Reason 1: At Independence Lok Sabha And Assembly Elections Held Together
When India gained independence in 1947, both Lok Sabha (National Parliament) and state assembly elections were held simultaneously. This pattern was followed for a few years until it became staggered due to political and logistical challenges. However, the original framework was designed to ensure that the country functioned cohesively. Returning to this system could help re-establish a unified approach to governance and reduce the fragmentation of focus across different electoral cycles.
#ConstitutionDebate | Dr. SK Dutta, Political Analyst, shares his views on the One Nation, One Poll proposal, stating his skepticism about its feasibility. In this insightful discussion, he explains the potential challenges and implications of holding simultaneous elections for… pic.twitter.com/16qFjO0TMk
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Reason 2: Higher Voter Turnout
Available information regarding the scenario in other democracies gives an indication of holding joint elections increases citizens’ electoral participation. A simple and straightforward example here would be the United States case where “the combined presidential/state midterm turnout is always more impressive, around 66% against as low as the 46% seen commonly at such mid-term elections at a state level. It therefore stands to logic and history if India were able to run national and states concurrent electoral processes, thereby resulting to higher voter participation of electors.
Reason 3: Cost Savings
Conducting elections is a costly affair. Independent studies estimate that a national election costs the country around Rs. 50,000 crore when factoring in logistics, security, deployment of personnel, and more. By aligning elections, the costs associated with multiple election cycles—such as transportation, security, and administration—could be drastically reduced. This would save taxpayer money and allow for better allocation of resources to essential areas like healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
Reason 4: Minimum Disruption to Educational Institutions
Polling stations in India are often located in schools and colleges, which leads to disruptions in regular classes. In addition, the staff members who were meant to work on their educational activities have to divert themselves for electoral duties, thus affecting productivity. If the elections were conducted simultaneously, this would be reduced to the minimum extent, ensuring that academic institutions do not suffer frequent interruptions due to electoral duties.
Reason 5: Minimum Interruptions to Governance
Today, during an election period, the MCC strictly restricts the introduction of new policies or even big-ticket decisions by the government. In effect, it results in governance getting into a slower motion, more particularly so at the state level since polls tend to happen over two phases. With “One Nation, One Election,” electoral would be consolidated into one-time frame, reducing the frequency of governance being interrupted altogether. This would afford the governments an opportunity of doing policy-making and implementation without necessarily being strangled by continuously running electoral campaigns.
Reason 6: Reducing populism and freebie culture
The more frequent elections tend to lure politicians into populist methods like doles to garner votes, and this would lead them astray by implementing economically destructive and unsustainable policies in the long term. Thus, by curtailing the electoral cycles, the “One Nation, One Election” model would deter the urge for vote-bank politics that can only beget a quick-fix, pie-in-the-sky attitude towards substantial reforms that benefit the people in the long term.
Reason 7: Less Campaign Time
Election campaigns consume time, and elected representatives do not get time to be effective for their constituency in the proper manner. Under the current system of repeated elections, the elected member of parliament has to remain in continuous campaigning mode, which doesn’t give him time to engage in his work. The “One Nation, One Election” will leave ample time to the elected members of parliament to concentrate on their work and save much less time in continuous campaigning. This would enable them to serve the public better by focusing on policy implementation rather than electioneering.
