One Nation One Election (ONOE) — ONOE is the idea of simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha (lower house of India’s Parliament) and State Legislative Assemblies. He adds, “This move will help reduce the time taken to conduct elections in India where you have staggered long elections leading to high costs and effects (sic) the code of conduct and governance.
Historical Context
The proposal for ONOE has been a subject of discussion since soon after India achieved independence. This idea was proposed in 1950 by the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, Sukumar Sen. He made a case for holding simultaneous elections to lessen the financial burden on the exchequer and bring about greater efficiency in governance.
But political and logistical realities prevented it from coming to pass over the years.
Merits of One Nation One Election
Cost Efficiency
Holding Lok Sabha and state assembly elections separately entails higher expenses on security, manpower, and logistics. These costs could come down drastically if elections are held simultaneously.
Governance Stability
Frequent elections mean the application of the Model Code of Conduct, which constrains government action. Simultaneous elections ensure that governance is not stalled and that there is no halt in the implementation of development projects or policy accommodations.
Increased Voter Engagement
Having elections at the same time can raise voter turnout. When you permit citizens to vote for a bunch of different offices at one go, they tend to feel more like part of the political process, and higher turnouts are likely.
Consolidated Electoral Management Simplified
This flexibility would be an improvement to the electoral process in that if implemented it could make managing a single election cycle easier. It could enable the Election Commission of India to concentrate its resources and efforts on one mega-round, increasing efficiency in conducting free and fair elections.
Challenges and Concerns
There are a lot of potential benefits BUT there are major obstacles to the ONOE initiative:
Constitutional Amendments
Operation National Office of Electoral Commissioners (ONOE) would involve Constitutional Amendments to the Tenure provisions applicable to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. This may take a long and tortuous way demanding wide political consensus.
Diverse Political Landscape
India is a nation where every state has had different parties at the helm of affairs. Moreover, regional parties are likely to be against simultaneous elections because that would make their interests secondary and they might lose relevance locally.
Contiguous Elections
Organising simultaneous elections nationwide, is a logistical issue given the geographic spread across India and the democracy of our nation. It would put a strain on the security, resources and infrastructure required to run such an enormous operation, and the Election Commission would have to provide all of this.
Less Voter Fatigue
Simultaneous elections may enhance voter engagement, but it also increases the threat of voter fatigue. The overabundance of options on the ballot could potentially confuse and overwhelm citizens, reducing turnout overall.
Conclusion
The ‘One Nation One Election campaign is a most justified attempt to reform the Indian election system. The potential benefits — cost reductions, governance stability, and greater voter participation are compelling issues for all banks but one cannot overstate the challenges they face in implementation. To make ONOE work demands that a broad political consensus is established and, of course, there are some simple logistics to be considered. For an evolving democracy like India, this debate will determine whether this initiative is seen playing a role in building its political architecture and becoming the path to effective governance for citizens.