One Nation One Election| One nation one election? What are its advantages and disadvantages? Achi-News

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal of “One Nation Election” to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. In independent India, the process was called ‘Joint Elections’ as the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies were held simultaneously. It was also mentioned in government documents. The term ‘one country, one election’ was used in the 1999 Law Commission report submitted during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Since then the same terminology has obviously been used.

18,656 page report submitted to the President

A committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind will be appointed during Modi 2.O. The committee presented an 18,656 page report to the President. Modi cabinet approved today. The central government has decided to introduce it in the upcoming winter session.

What did the Law Commission say about simultaneous elections in 1983?

In 1983, there was a proposal to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The Law Commission had mentioned this in its annual report in 1983. “There will be a huge reduction in election expenses as the elections are held at the same time. The deployment of government employees to election duty will be reduced. It was explained that the political parties will be able to leave the election and focus on governance. All subsequent reports and recommendations regarding holding elections at the same time have been saying the same thing.

Also Read: One Nation Election: Central Govt prepares to implement ‘One Country, One Election’, Modi Cabinet approves

What did the Niti Aayog report in 2017 say about this?

He had listed the benefits as benefits to the people as there is no need to install the code again and again, reduce the burden on the government machinery, eliminate problems caused to the people due to frequent elections. Because of all these advantages, the committee had recommended in its report that the elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies should be held simultaneously. In 2017, Niti Aayog also conducted such a study and reported in favor of simultaneous elections.

What are the benefits of a one country election?

A huge amount of money, resources and labor is spent on every election. A country can mitigate it by holding an election.

Holding elections at the same time will reduce the burden on administrative and security forces. Otherwise, the administration and security system will have to work several times during election duties. This can be avoided.

If one country implements one election, not only will the government always be in an election mood, it can focus more on governance. Barriers to policy implementation will also be reduced.

According to the Law Commission, simultaneous elections will increase the number of voters. Because once voters reach the polling station, they can vote for the state and Lok Sabha elections and return. It also saves them time.

The Challenges of Implementing a One Country One Election

Article 18 of the Constitution needs to be amended if an election is to be held. If those reforms are to be made, they need to be approved by the state and the Lok Sabha. It takes more time. It’s a very challenging job.

Article 83 of the Constitution, which determines the term of the Lok Sabha, and Article 85, which allows the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, need to be amended. Similarly, Articles 172 and 174 of the Constitution, which determine the tenure of state assemblies and allow the dissolution of governments, need to be amended. In addition, Article 356 of the Constitution, which allows the President’s rule to be enforced, also needs to be amended.

The Ramnath Kovind report mentioned that if a country holds one election, local elections, including state assemblies, should be held after a gap of 100 days after the Lok Sabha elections.

From a political point of view, more than 2500 parties are facing elections in the country. It is also doubtful whether all those parties will agree to one country and one election. There are sayings that if most of the parties express a different opinion, they will be ignored.

The election calendar needs to be changed. The tenures of Assemblies/Governments held in different states of the country are different from each other. If one state government has a term of only one year, another state government has a tenure of more than four years. Dissolve those assemblies, implement the President’s rule or extend the term of the assembly itself. Care should be taken to avoid any form of legal entanglement and disturbance of law and order in this process.

What is the cost of Lok Sabha elections?

The first Lok Sabha elections were held in the country in 1951-52. 10.5 crore was spent in this election. But in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, this expenditure reached 3870.3 crore rupees. In other words, in 63 years, an increase of 36,857 percent has been recorded in election expenses. Meanwhile, the number of voters increased from 17.32 crore to 91.2 crore. Also, between 2009 and 2014, election expenditure has increased almost 3 times.

1114.4 crore rupees were spent in the Lok Sabha elections 2009. According to the Election Commission, 97 crore voters will cast their franchise in this general election. The Election Commission has not disclosed the expenditure information for the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Lok Sabha Election Budget 2024 – Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced Rs 2,442.85 crore for election expenditure in Interim Budget 2024. In this, 1000 crores will be spent to conduct Lok Sabha elections. Also, 404.81 crores have been earmarked for the distribution of voter ID cards. Also, Rs 34.84 crore has been allocated in the budget for EVM. Overall, 2040 crores have been earmarked for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

EVM should be increased

In order to hold elections at the same time, the number of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) in the country should be doubled from what it is at the moment. In addition, a huge infrastructure needs to be developed for VV-PAT machines, their storage and maintenance.

How much should EVM cost?

A 2015 Law Commission report estimated that more than ₹ 9,500 crore would be needed to set up EVMs alone. Now that cost will increase even more. Also election staff, security personnel will have to work extra days. It is mentioned in the reports that the cost of transport – food and accommodation will also increase significantly.

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