One Nation, One Election — remedy worse than disease

1. Background

One Nation, One Election (ONOE) refers to simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and all State Legislative Assemblies, instead of the current staggered election schedule.

India originally followed simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and State Assemblies in 1951-52, 1957, 1962 and 1967.
The cycle broke due to:
- Premature dissolution of assemblies
- Political instability and coalition governments
- Article 356 impositions
- Lok Sabha dissolutions in 1970, 1979, 1991 etc.

Since then, elections are held frequently across states.

2. Definition

One Nation, One Election (ONOE):
A system where Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections are conducted simultaneously across India, ideally once every five years, with all governments beginning and ending their terms together.

3. Recent Policy Developments

High-Level Committee on ONOE (2023–24)

Chaired by Ram Nath Kovind.
Recommended two phases of synchronisation:
1. Lok Sabha + State Assemblies
2. Later inclusion of local body elections

Constitutional Amendment Proposal

Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024

Key proposal: New Article 82A

4. Key Constitutional Provisions Proposed

1. Article 82A (New Article)

President notifies an “appointed date”.
From that date, all Assembly terms align with Lok Sabha cycle.

2. Amendments Proposed

Article 83 → Tenure of Parliament
Article 172 → Tenure of State Assemblies
Article 327 → Parliamentary power over elections

3. Unexpired-Term Elections

If a legislature falls mid-term:

Fresh election
New House serves only the remainder of the original 5-year cycle
No fresh full tenure.

4. Election Deferral Power

Election Commission may recommend deferring State elections if simultaneous polls are impracticable.

5. Constitutional Concepts Involved

Parliamentary System

A system where:

Executive is responsible to the legislature
Government survives only as long as it enjoys majority support

Relevant Articles:

Article 75 → Collective responsibility of Union Council of Ministers
Article 164 → Collective responsibility of State Council of Ministers

Federalism

Federalism means division of power between Union and States with constitutional autonomy.

Recognised as Basic Structure in:

S.R. Bommai v. Union of India

Basic Structure Doctrine

Principle that certain core features of the Constitution cannot be altered even by amendment.

Established in:

Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala

Key elements include:

Federalism
Parliamentary democracy
Judicial review
Rule of law

6. Arguments in Favour of ONOE

1. Reduced Election Expenditure

Government expenditure estimated around ₹4,500 crore
Multiple elections increase administrative cost.

2. Reduced Model Code of Conduct (MCC) Disruption

Frequent elections lead to:

Policy paralysis
Delays in development projects

3. Better Governance

Governments focus on policy instead of continuous campaigning.

4. Efficient Use of Security Forces

Central forces currently deployed repeatedly for different elections.

5. Higher Voter Participation

Some argue that combined elections increase turnout.

7. Arguments Against ONOE

1. Threat to Federalism

States have independent political cycles.

Synchronisation may:

Curtail State mandates
Reduce State autonomy

2. Violation of Parliamentary Accountability

Parliamentary system allows:

Early dissolution
Loss of majority

ONOE treats dissolution as a problem rather than a democratic safeguard.

3. Problem of “Truncated Mandates”

Under unexpired-term elections:

Governments may rule only 1–2 years
Weak incentives for long-term policy.

4. National Wave Dominance

India uses First-Past-The-Post (FPTP).

Simultaneous elections may cause:

National issues overshadowing State issues
Dominance of national parties.

8. Administrative Challenges

Election Logistics

Simultaneous elections would require:

Large numbers of EVMs and VVPATs
Massive deployment of security forces
Larger administrative capacity.

Financial Impact

Savings are relatively small:

Around 0.03% of GDP
Around 0.25% of Union Budget

9. Risk of President’s Rule Misuse

Relevant provision:

Article 356

Concern:

If a government collapses mid-term:

Centre may impose President’s Rule
Delay elections to match national cycle.

10. Global Comparisons

Indonesia

Indonesia held simultaneous elections in 2019.

Problems reported:

Poll worker fatigue
Hundreds of deaths due to administrative overload.

Later judicial intervention required separating elections.

Canada

Federal and provincial elections occur independently.

Germany

State elections deliberately staggered.
Stability comes from Constructive Vote of No Confidence.

United States

Fixed election cycles
Works because executive tenure is fixed in presidential system.

11. Key Governance Concerns

Governance Dead Zone

Caretaker government may operate:

Without full legislative authority
Unable to present full budget.