Why One Nation, One Election A Bad Idea?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again called for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State assemblies. It is argued that frequent elections impede development as governments are periodically subject to code of conduct and political parties remain perpetually in election mood. Suitable measures can be devised to cut short the period of electoral process. For instance, now, elections are held in several phases due to lack of adequate paramilitary forces to provide security for the polls. The strength of the same can be augmented to hold the elections in a day or two. The period of the election campaign can also be reduced.
The political scenario of a diverse country like India is unsuitable for simultaneous elections. Electoral issues and the mandate differ from state to state and from the states to the nation. The diverse political spectrum offers a range of choices for the electorate. Simultaneous elections would be a serious disadvantage for the regional parties as the national mood will dominate the election narrative, thus giving undue political advantage to national parties.
The state legislatures in India do not owe their existence to Parliament. Instead, both the state and the national legislatures draw their powers and functions from the Constitution of India. Therefore the idea of simultaneous elections is essentially anti federal.
In an age of fragmented polity and fractured verdicts, with each state having distinctive electoral arithmetic and political chemistry, which again is different from that of the Centre, any attempt to club these will create a constitutional void. If any state elections fail to throw up a clear mandate, should we wait for the full term of the Parliament to lapse to conduct Assembly elections in such a state? Similarly, if all the states witness a clear mandate and the verdict is fractured in Lok Sabha elections due to which no government is formed, should all the state Assemblies be dissolved to facilitate simultaneous elections? These questions reveal that simultaneous elections are simply impractical.
The advocates of such a proposal argue that simultaneous elections would save money, time and resources. If this is accepted, one can also demand that elections should be held once in 20 years as it would save more time and money. Should we opt for it?
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Why One Nation, One Election A Bad Idea? Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again called for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State assemblies. It is argued that frequent elections impede development as governments are periodically subject to code of conduct and political parties remain perpetually in election mood. Suitable measures can be devised to cut short the period of electoral process. For instance, now, elections are held in several phases due to lack of adequate paramilitary forces to provide security for the polls. The strength of the same can be augmented to hold the elections in a day or two. The period of the election campaign can also be reduced. The political scenario of a diverse country like India is unsuitable for simultaneous elections. Electoral issues and the mandate differ from state to state and from the states to the nation. The diverse political spectrum offers a range of choices for the electorate. Simultaneous elections would be a serious disadvantage for the regional parties as the national mood will dominate the election narrative, thus giving undue political advantage to national parties. The state legislatures in India do not owe their existence to Parliament. Instead, both the state and the national legislatures draw their powers and functions from the Constitution of India. Therefore the idea of simultaneous elections is essentially anti federal. In an age of fragmented polity and fractured verdicts, with each state having distinctive electoral arithmetic and political chemistry, which again is different from that of the Centre, any attempt to club these will create a constitutional void. If any state elections fail to throw up a clear mandate, should we wait for the full term of the Parliament to lapse to conduct Assembly elections in such a state? Similarly, if all the states witness a clear mandate and the verdict is fractured in Lok Sabha elections due to which no government is formed, should all the state Assemblies be dissolved to facilitate simultaneous elections? These questions reveal that simultaneous elections are simply impractical. The advocates of such a proposal argue that simultaneous elections would save money, time and resources. If this is accepted, one can also demand that elections should be held once in 20 years as it would save more time and money. Should we opt for it? https://www.gulte.com/political-news/38318/why-one-nation-one-election-a-bad-idea