Discussing "One Nation, One Election" in the state capital, former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Saturday said that the move is only possible after amendments to the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act.
Former Chief Election Commissioner and senior IAS officer OP Rawat made the observations while presiding over a discussion on the topic at the Madhya Pradesh Academy of Administration.
The discussion, organized by the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Regional Branch of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, was introduced by KK Sethi, chairperson of the IIPA.
Explaining various aspects of the concept of simultaneous elections for the Parliament and all state assemblies in the country, Rawat asserted that the Election Commission is capable of conducting such an exercise but noted that electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) would need to be supplemented.He said that he remembered the government had sought the opinion of the Election Commission on the matter in 2015.
The government had also asked for steps that would be a prerequisite for the simultaneous elections.At that time, the Election Commission informed the government that it was indeed possible to conduct both elections together, provided the government undertook four tasks.
First, amendments to five articles of the Constitution would be essential, particularly concerning the terms of the assemblies and provisions for President's Rule.Additionally, the Election Commission indicated that changes to the Representation of the People Act and the rules governing the introduction of no-confidence motions would be required. Specifically, a "constructive no-confidence motion" would need to be instituted, which would not only express a lack of confidence in the current government but also propose a new government that the Assembly could trust, ensuring that the new government could continue for a full five-year term after the fall of the previous one.
Senior journalist and political analyst Sarman Nagele mentioned that the 18,626-page report prepared over 191 days indicated that 47 political parties shared their views, with 32 supporting simultaneous elections and 15 opposing it. In India, elections are held for 4,120 MLAs in state assemblies and 543 MPs in the Lok Sabha.
