India introduces ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill in Parliament
Plan, which has been under review for over a year, is strongly opposed by opposition MPs
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has introduced a draft legislation in the parliament to hold simultaneous elections across the country, taking another step in an attempt to alter the electoral landscape in the world’s biggest democracy.
The ‘One Nation One Election’ Bill, which proposes that India conduct its national and state polls concurrently, was introduced by Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in the lower house of parliament on Tuesday.
Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have long advocated for a one-time nationwide election to cut costs and improve efficiency.
The plan, which has been under discussion and review for over a year now, is strongly opposed by opposition lawmakers.
Many more steps
The introduction of the Bill is just the first of many steps before the proposal becomes a law. After this, the draft legislation may be up for discussion or could be reworked entirely, a process that can take multiple parliament sessions. The ongoing winter session of the parliament ends this week.
State and federal elections are non-concurrent in India as of now, with few polls scheduled almost every year. If the legislation is cleared and implemented, it would entail adjusting the terms of ongoing state assemblies.
As per the draft, the Indian president can initiate the legislation into action in “the first sitting” of the lower house of the parliament after a national poll, which implies the law can’t be implemented until 2029. If enacted, it would truncate the terms of some state governments, in order to sync the polls.
Excessive centralism
The opposition has staunchly opposed the proposal, arguing that simultaneous elections would blur national and grassroots concerns. According to analysts, it would also give an unreasonable advantage to the party governing at the federal level in state elections.
“This excessive centralism which is sought to be brought into existence by this Bill absolutely militates against the constitutional scheme in its essence,” said Manish Tewari, a member of parliament with the main opposition Indian National Congress after the introduction.
Phased voting in general elections for the national parliament this year - when Modi won a third term - stretched over six weeks in a staggeringly complex logistical exercise for an electorate of 968 million.
Election officials travelled by foot, road, trains, helicopters, boats, and occasionally camels and elephants to set up polling stations in remote locations.
Currently voting for state assemblies - some with populations themselves bigger than most nations in the world - are staggered from the national vote.
The Bill “proposes aligning the election cycles” of the national parliament in New Delhi with state assemblies, India’s justice ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
“By synchronising these electoral timelines, the approach aims to address logistical challenges, reduce costs, and minimise disruptions caused by frequent elections,” it added.
“This would allow voters to cast their ballots for both tiers of government on the same day in their constituencies, though voting could still occur in phases across the country.”