These days the issue of One Nation, One Election is hot in the political corridors of the country.
Recently, the bill related to One Nation, One Election was approved in the Union Cabinet. Thereafter, it was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. With this, the issue of one nation, one election remains a topic of discussion.
I believe that conducting Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously will strengthen democratic institutions. The pace of development in the country will accelerate.
The committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind had given suggestions in March 2024 itself. By approving it and presenting it in Parliament, the Union Cabinet has made its intention clear that the government has taken a step forward towards implementing the system of one nation one election. One Nation, One Election will not only help in effective implementation of government policies, but will also help in furthering reforms related to various systems. One nation, one election will bring about a change in the current politics.
The system of one nation, one election will also give voters an opportunity to reach a consensus with the state government on national issues. Apart from this, governments will be able to work on long-term plans easily. This will strengthen the economy. At the same time, democracy will also be strengthened. With the Lok Sabha and state assembly elections being held simultaneously, the work will be less affected by the code of conduct implemented from time to time. It will be easy to formulate policies and take decisions in the state and national interest. This will also curb the cases of MLAs and MPs luring voters by giving them incentives. The tendency of leaders to change parties frequently will also end.
One nation, one election in India means that along with the lower house of Parliament i.e. Lok Sabha elections, assembly elections of all states should also be held. Along with this, elections of local bodies i.e. Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayat and Gram Panchayat should also be held simultaneously.
One nation, one election in India means that along with the Lok Sabha elections, the lower house of the Parliament, the assembly elections of all the states should also be held.
This is not a new thing for Indian democracy. Since independence, the emphasis has been on holding simultaneous elections in the country.
Elections of the years 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967 are examples of this. At the same time, after the year 1968, some states were reorganized and some new states also came into existence. Apart from this, many times the political circumstances became such that the Lok Sabha also had to be dissolved.
Due to this, the cycle of simultaneous elections was broken. The process of dissolving the assemblies from the year 1968 changed the entire situation. After this, the elections of Lok Sabha and Assembly started being held separately. As a result, there was an unexpected increase in the government and non-government expenditure on elections. Many problems started arising due to separate elections.
However, after the Modi government came to power at the center, the discussion on one nation, one election started from the year 2014. In the year 2017, the niti Aayog also agreed to this and while addressing the joint session of Parliament in the year 2018, the then President Ram Nath Kovind also called it the right step.
In September 2023, a six-member committee was constituted under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind. This committee submitted its report to President Draupadi Murmu in March 2024.
With this step of the central government, it is being speculated that the elections of the year 2029 will be held under the new system i.e. one nation, one election. The Election Commission also seems mentally prepared for One Nation One Election. However, the Election Commission and the governments will have to work hard to implement this new system. But once this process starts, it will be considered a good sign for democracy.
