The Modi government has decided to bring the controversial ‘One Nation One Poll’ Bill to Parliament in the next session. The timing was excellent as it was announced on the day the Prime Minister completed 100 days in office in his third term. While the idea seems reasonable, and we must move gradually towards the concept, is the country ready for it? Is there a consensus among the political parties for such a move? Does Modi have the required majority to get the bill passed in Parliament? While persuading the BJP-ruled states will be easy, will the opposition-ruled states agree? There are many such questions.
On the whole, without mobilising the numbers required for a two-thirds majority in Lok Sabha, Constitutional amendments cannot be passed. Opposition parties are not in favour of the concept. They include the Congress, the Left parties, Trinamool Congress and regional and smaller parties. They fear that the synchronised polls might favour the BJP. The Prime Minister has been batting for the One Nation, One Election concept to check the disruptions caused by frequent elections. Modi and the BJP think that it would favour the party. He tried to bring it in his first two terms but failed.
Further, the BJP manifestos also promised to get the idea implemented. The government set up a highlevel committee headed by former President Ramnath Kovind last year. In its report, the committee endorsed the government’s proposal. The committee suggested the formation of a committee to oversee the implementation. Though the ruling party and the Kovind Committee support the idea, the measure faces constitutional, legal, political and other obstacles. Currently, elections for state assemblies and Lok Sabha are held separately, but from 1952 to 1967, India had one synchronised election.
This trend of holding separate elections began during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s time. It was because she used Article 356 to dismiss state governments with the result that the election cycle was disturbed. The Law Commission is also likely to propose synchronised polls across all three levels of government – Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies – by 2029. Apart from the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also reiterated commitment to the proposal when Modi completed 100 days this week in his third term. The Kovind committee suggests a joint electoral roll for all elections so that voters will use the same list for national, state, and local polls.
It would reduce errors in voter registration. To promote transparency and inclusion, it is planned to hold detailed discussions nationwide to gather feedback from various stakeholders. The Committee has suggested a two-phase implementation. In the first phase, elections will be held for Lok Sabha and Assemblies. The second phase will hold polls for local bodies and urban local bodies. The opposition parties have yet to come on board because they believe that simultaneous polls mean an advantage for the BJP. Already, the Congress, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen have rejected the proposal. Congress leaders Mallikharjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi claimed the concept won’t work in a democracy.
The main objections come from the regional and smaller parties with different issues. The next hurdle is the amendment of the Constitution. This may be tricky because Modi has no majority in Lok Sabha. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority, and the BJP is far from that. Also, the Constitution of India is silent over whether polls should happen simultaneously. The third challenge is deploying adequate forces. The Election Commission would require 24 lakh electronic voting machines and voter-verifiable paper audit trail machines. These logistical challenges need to be addressed. Above all, the most important thing is political consensus.
How will the government persuade the opposition parties to agree on the one nation, one poll idea? The Centre must go out of the way, consult each political party, and convince it. The logistics side also needs to be considered, particularly on security. While the government is in a hurry, the Opposition wants to settle political scores. The BJP must take adequate measures to bring the Opposition on board.
Since the idea is good and checks the wastage of money and the occurrence of elections every two years, the Opposition must think twice before rejecting the idea. Political scores cannot be settled on a sensitive subject like “One Nation One poll”. Even if the bill is defeated in Parliament, Modi can always claim that he brought the measure to Parliament to fulfil a poll promise, but the Opposition sabotaged it. While the move may thus not be immediately possible, it is worth exploring ways to implement it eventually.