Election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. In India, first general elections were held after independence between 25th October 1951 and 21 February 1952. It was a humongous election conducted in the world at that time. There were nearly 1874 candidates and 53 political parties, of which 14 parties were national. These included the Indian National Congress, the communist party, the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party, and Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasdabha, among others.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru becomes the first prime minister of independent India. After independence in 1947, there were no laws on how to hold elections. But after sometimes the Drafting Committee, under the leadership of Dr.Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, put in rigorous hours to draft the constitution which was ratified on November 26, 1949, but it came into force on January 26, 1950. On that day, India got the rules and bylaws to conduct elections, and the country finally became the Republic of India.

Simultaneous Election:

A simultaneous system of election is simply the structuring of an election cycle such that the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly elections are synchronized.

During the first four general election cycles in 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967, the elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies were held simultaneously. But after 1967 due to the subsequent premature dissolution of the Lok Sabha on seven occasions i.e. on 1970, 1977, 1979, 1991, 1997, 1999, 1904 and the premature dissolution of Legislative assemblies on various occasions, election to the Lok Sabha and various State assemblies are held at different times. Currently, only a few states like Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha hold elections along with the Lok Sabha polls.

WHY SIMULTANEOUS ELECTION INTRODUCED:

Arranging of election in the largest democratic country like India is the biggest challenge. It requires a lot of human contribution such as labor, time, effort, and a huge amount of funds to set up the entire system. Thus, it would be far less costly to host the elections to the State Assemblies and Lok Sabha on the same day or same period to reduce the disruption of the natural flow of work and fruitless expenditures.

The proposals for simultaneous elections submitted by a High-level committee chaired by the former President Ram Nath Kovind are popularly known as “One Nation, One Election” which is also known as “ONOE” has emerged as a contentious yet compelling idea. This concept suggests that elections for the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies should be held simultaneously, thereby consolidating the electoral process and reducing the frequency of polls.

This idea again gains significance because from the first Lok Sabha elections in 1951-52 till the 2024, the government’s expenditure on an elector has gone up 20 times high. In the first general election, the government spent Rs.0.60 on an elector, whereas Rs.100 were spent in the year 2023-24.

Considering expenditure in absolute terms, Rs. 10.45 crore was spent in 1951-52 general elections, whereas Rs. 10,000 crores was the amount the government spent for 2023-24 general elections.

OBJECT OF SIMULTANEOUS ELECTION:

• The fundamental aim of “ONOE” is to align the electoral cycles across different levels of government, conducting elections concurrently or within a set timeframe.
• This would necessitate significant constitutional amendments and changes to various election-related laws and processes.
• It reduces the overall expenditure on conducting separate elections.
• It increases the voter turnout or encourages higher participation by streamlining the electoral process.

THE ADVANTAGES OF SIMULTANEOUS ELECTION:-

• Simultaneous elections in India could lead to significant savings in resources like security, personnel, polling staff, and election materials.
• Reduced disruptions mean less frequent elections would mean fewer disruptions to public life benefiting educational institutions often used as polling stations.
• Synchronizing elections would result in higher economic stability and growth, enabling businesses to make decisions without fear of adverse policy changes.
• It reduces election-related disputes and offences, thus reducing the burden on the court.
• It would mitigate social conflict often observed during elections since elections are held once every five years.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The reports of the Law Commission (1999), and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice (2015), have dealt with the issue of simultaneous elections. The Law Commission had also submitted a draft report in 2018. The highlights of these discussions and recommendations can be summarized as follows:-

1. The elections to the Lok Sabha and nearly half of the State assemblies may be clubbed together in one cycle, while the rest of the State assembly elections can be held in another cycle after two and half years. This will require curtailing or extending the tenures of existing assemblies that will entail amendments to the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1951;
2. Any ‘no-confidence motion’ in the Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly should be mandatorily accompanied by a ‘confidence motion’ for the formation of an alternate government. If for any unavoidable reason, the Lok Sabha or State Assembly is to be dissolved prematurely, the duration of the newly constituted House should be only for the remainder period of the original House. This would act as a deterrent for MPs and MLAs pushing for premature dissolution of the House. It would instead encourage the members to explore the possibility of forming an alternate government through feasible realignments;
3. The bye-elections necessitated by death, resignation or disqualification of members can be clubbed together and conducted once in a year.

CHALLENGES FACED BY SIMULTANEOUS ELECTION:

Feasibility:

• Article 83(2) and Article 172 of the Indian Constitution stipulate that the tenure of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies respectively, will last for five years unless dissolved earlier and there can be circumstances, as in Article 356, wherein assemblies can be dissolved earlier. Therefore, the “ONOE” plan raises serious issues of feasibility if the Central or State government collapses mid-tenure.
• Amending the Constitution for such a significant change would not only necessitate extensive consideration of various situations and provisions but would also set a concerning precedent for more constitutional amendments.
• The Election Commission of India submitted a feasibility report to the government in 2015, suggesting amendments to the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Not Aligned with Federalism:

• The idea of “ONOE” does not square with the concept of ‘federalism’ as it is established on the notion that the entire nation is “one” contradicting the content of Article 1 which envisages India as a “Union of States”.

Present Form is More Beneficial:

• The present form of recurrent elections can be seen as beneficial in a democracy as it allows voters to have their voices heard more frequently.
• As the underlying issues of national and State polls are different, the present framework prevents the blending of issues, ensuring greater accountability.

EVM and VVPAT Requirement:

• Approximately 30 lakh Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT) machines would be needed for simultaneous elections.

Cost Considerations:

• The ECI has highlighted that simultaneous elections would require a substantial budget.
• A total of approximately Rs 9,284.15 crore would be needed for procuring EVMs and VVPATs, with additional costs for replacing machines every 15 years.
• Simultaneous elections would increase warehousing costs due to the storage of machines between elections.

Impact on Voter Behavior:

• Some political parties argue that it may influence voter behavior in a manner that voters would end up voting on national issues even for State elections and this may lead to larger national parties winning both State and Lok Sabha elections thereby marginalizing regional parties.

Election Issues:

• State and national elections are often fought on different sets of issues — and in simultaneous elections, voters may end up privileging one set over the other in ways they might not have done otherwise.

Diminished Accountability:

• Having to face the electorate more than once every 5 years enhances the accountability of politicians and keeps them on their toes. Finally, a lot of jobs are also created during the elections, which boosts the economy at the grassroots levels.

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, we can conclude that Simultaneous election has various advantages and benefits like it reduced cost, save time, administrative efficiency, and less disruption to governance but it also has some difficulties like constitutional amendments, logistical complexities and concern over federalism. The model code of conduct shouldn’t be stretched too long. There should be clear guidelines on do’s and don’ts for the government. To curb election expenditure of political parties and state findings of political parties should be discussed.

There are various ifs and buts before the idea of simultaneous election can finally be implemented. They may need to be amended. But care should be taken, such that simultaneous elections will not undermine the federalism and diversity of the country. 

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