ONE NATION ONE ELECTION
The cabinet has accepted the recommendations given by High-Level Committee (HLC) (headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind) on One Nation One Election.
When was the report submitted?
The High-level Committee (HLC) on One Nation, One Election submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu on March 14.
The comprehensive 21-volume, 18,626-page report contains 11 chapters plus Annexures.
WHO WERE PART OF THIS COMMITTEE?
The HLC, popularly known as the Kovind panel after its chairman, former President Ram Nath Kovind, was constituted in September 2023, to go into the issue.
The panel had as its members:
- Home Minister Amit Shah,
- Former Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad,
- Former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C Kashyap,
- Former chairman of the 15th Finance Commission N K Singh,
- Senior Advocate Harish Salve, and
- Former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari.
- Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal was a Special Invitee to the Committee.
WHAT DOES SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONS MEAN HERE?
Simultaneous elections, popularly referred to as “One Nation, One Election”, means holding elections to:
- Lok Sabha,
- All state Legislative Assemblies, and
- Urban and rural local bodies (municipalities and panchayats) at the same time.
Currently, all these elections are held independently of one another, following timelines dictated by the terms of every individual elected body.
THE NEED FOR SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONS
- Frequent elections burden the government exchequer with additional expenditure. If the expenditure incurred by political parties is also added, these figures will be even higher.
- Asynchronous elections cause uncertainty and instability, thwarting supply chains, business investments and economic growth.
- Disruption of government machinery due to asynchronous elections causes hardship to citizens.
- Frequent use of government officials and security forces adversely affect discharge of their duties.
- Frequent imposition of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) causes policy paralysis and slows down the pace of the developmental programmes.
- Staggered elections induce ‘voters’ fatigue’ and present a significant challenge in ensuring their participation.
THE GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
- AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION: The Constitution should be amended to enable simultaneous elections in two steps.
- In the first step, simultaneous elections will be held to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. For this, no ratification by the states will be required for the constitutional amendment.
- In the second step, elections to municipalities and the panchayats will be synchronised with elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies in such a way that local body elections are held within 100 days of the elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. This will require ratification by not less than one-half of the states.
- SINGLE ELECTORAL ROLL AND ELECTION ID: For the purpose of preparation of single electoral roll and electoral photo identity cards for use in elections to all the three tiers of government, the Constitution should be amended, so that the Election
Commission of India can prepare a single electoral roll and election ID in consultation with the State Election Commissions. These amendments will require ratification by not less than one-half of the states. - IN CASE OF HUNG HOUSE, ETC.: In the event of a hung House, a no-confidence motion, or any such event, fresh elections should be held to constitute the new Lok Sabha or state Assembly for the unexpired term of the House.
- MEETING LOGISTICS REQUIREMENTS: The committee has recommended that for meeting logistical requirements, the Election Commission of India will plan and estimate in advance, in consultation with the State Election Commissions, and take steps for the deployment of manpower, polling personnel, security forces, EVMs/VVPATs, etc., so that free and fair simultaneous elections are held in all the three tiers of the government.
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
- Two-Phase Election Process:
- Phase 1: Lok Sabha and state assembly elections will be conducted simultaneously.
- Phase 2: Local body elections for panchayats and municipal bodies will occur within 100 days following the general elections.
- Common Electoral Roll:
- A unified electoral roll will be maintained for all elections.
- Voter ID cards will be prepared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in collaboration with state election authorities.
- National Consultations:
- The Centre will engage in detailed discussions nationwide to build consensus among political parties.
- The implementation group will facilitate discussions and seek support across various forums.
- Single Electoral Roll: Proposed changes include a single electoral roll for all polling within a constituency, which will also require state ratification.
- Law Commission Report: The Law Commission is expected to release a report soon recommending simultaneous elections across all tiers of government starting in 2029.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Appointment of Date:
- An “appointed date” will be set when Parliament meets to notify the transition.
- Assemblies formed after this date will only serve until the subsequent general elections in 2029.
2. Short-Term Assembly Terms:
- States holding elections after the appointed date will have shorter terms. For instance:
- A state election in 2025 will have a four-year term until 2029.
- A state election in 2027 will have a two-year term until 2029.
3. Fresh Elections in Special Cases:
- In cases of a hung House, no-confidence motions, or similar events, fresh elections may be held for either the Lok Sabha or state assemblies.
- New governments formed will only serve the unexpired term of the preceding assembly.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
- Total Recommendations: The panel suggests 18 constitutional amendments, most of which do not require state ratification but some will need parliamentary approval.
- Two Amendment Bills:
- First Bill: Introduces Article 82A for transitioning to simultaneous elections.
- Second Bill: Introduces Article 324A, empowering the central government to legislate for parallel elections of local bodies.
RATIFICATION PROCESS
- Parliamentary Procedures: After the introduction of the two amendment Bills, Parliament will follow the amendment procedures under Article 368.
- Since only Parliament is empowered to legislate the election laws regarding Lok Sabha and assembly, the first amendment bill will not need ratification from the states.
- But, matters related to polling in local bodies are under the state subject and will require the second amendment Bill to be ratified by at least half the states
- Presidential Assent: After ratification, the bills will be sent to the President for assent. Upon approval, they will become acts and the implementation group will initiate changes.
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