“This will reduce the expenditure on elections by half, but for this amendment of Article 83, Article 85, Article 172 and Article 174 of the Constitution. The bigger challenge is to build consensus among political parties.”
Subhash Kashyap, the famous Constitutionalist, has said the above things in relation to ‘One Nation, One Election’. Although the concept of one nation, one election in India is being followed since the first general elections in 1952, but in 1967, when the legislative assemblies of different states were dissolved prematurely, the Lok Sabha and state elections were held at different times. Those were happening even today.
Now continuously the present Central Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi express their opinion in this regard that Lok Sabha elections and assembly elections of different states should be held simultaneously.
Why the need for one nation, one election?
Apart from the Lok Sabha elections in India, elections to the Legislative Assembly are also held in 29 states and two union territories. In such a situation, our country remains in constant election mode. Due to this, the government machinery of the country remains busy in these elections. Apart from this, security personnel like paramilitary forces, police forces of different states and various government teachers are also engaged in these. This not only affects their productivity, but also affects the economic activities of the Center and the state.
According to an estimate, 60 thousand crore rupees were spent in the 17th Lok Sabha elections. Accordingly, the value of one vote is about 700 rupees. Such expensive elections not only slow down the economic pace of the country, but it also affects other industries.
Political parties are afraid to take difficult decisions in view of the state elections, that it may not affect the election results of their party.
In the year 1999, the Law Commission in its 170th report also supported one nation one election. Although it is not so easy because for this it is necessary to get the resolution passed by the Parliament with a special majority, along with it it is necessary to pass it from more than half of the states.
Apart from this, it is also necessary to coordinate the elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies simultaneously. Apart from this, there is also the issue of cooperative federalism as the Center and the states have different issues. Due to this, voters also have to face a situation of confusion. Keeping these problems in mind, if we move forward in the direction of this reform, then surely far-reaching results will be achieved in the direction of one nation, one election.
