The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved two bills to facilitate simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and all state Assemblies, as well as for the Legislatures in Delhi and other Union territories, reported The Indian Express.
The bills are expected to be introduced in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament and will be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for wider consultation, according to the newspaper.
The proposal to conduct simultaneous polls follows recommendations made by a high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind. The committee suggested a phased approach, starting with national and state elections before aligning local body elections within 100 days of the simultaneous polls.
The Kovind committee’s report was submitted to President Droupadi Murmu in March. Of the 47 political parties that provided their feedback, 32 supported the proposal while opposition parties, including the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, objected.
“The Central government will have to build consensus,” Kovind said on Wednesday, according to ANI. “This issue is not in the interest of any party but the nation.”
He added that economists believe the measure could boost the country’s gross domestic product by 1% to 1.5%.
The Union Cabinet’s decision does not include any provision to synchronise local panchayat and municipal polls with the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
A bill to align local elections would require ratification by at least half of the state Legislatures, unlike the current bills for Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, which can be passed by Parliament without state-level approval.
The Union government has also not clarified a timeline for the implementation of simultaneous elections, The Indian Express reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a vocal advocate of the “one nation, one election” proposal since 2014. In his Independence Day speech this year, he reiterated support for the proposal, stating that frequent elections disrupt governance and economic progress.
Despite the Bharatiya Janata Party’s reduced numbers in the Lok Sabha, the National Democratic Alliance government has maintained its push for simultaneous polls. In September, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government intends to implement the plan during its current term.
The Kovind committee recommended a “one-time transitory measure” to facilitate the shift to simultaneous polls. This would require an “appointed date” marking the first sitting of Parliament after a general election.
All state Assemblies elected after this date would have their terms synchronised with the Lok Sabha’s tenure. However, questions remain about how the bills will address recently elected Assemblies in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also endorsed the proposal, stating on Wednesday that frequent elections waste the time and resources of government officials and halt development work.
“I am an agriculture minister, but during the elections, I spent three months campaigning,” he said according to ANI. “It wastes the time of the prime minister, chief ministers, ministers, MPs, MLAs, officers and employees.”
Opposition criticises the bill
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday reiterated that the party opposes the bills, saying that the proposal is undemocratic and unconstitutional. Ramesh told ANI that his party wants the bills to be sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee for wider consultations.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called the bill “draconian”. “This impractical and anti-democratic move will erase regional voices, erode federalism, and disrupt governance,” said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Cabinet had “bulldozed [its] way through with the unconstitutional and anti-federal One Nation, One Election Bill, ignoring every legitimate concern” raised by experts and Opposition leaders.
The Trinamool Congress chief said that the proposed legislation was “not a carefully-considered reform” and would undermine India’s federal structure.
MPs of the Trinamool Congress will oppose the bill, Banerjee said. “Bengal will never bow to Delhi’s dictatorial whims,” she added.”
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal said that the BJP’s priorities are misplaced. The nation needs “one education” and “one healthcare system”, not “one nation, one election”, said the former Delhi chief minister said.
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