Everything about Simultanious Elections :

Simultaneous Elections are basically conducting elections in the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies simultaneously. On the 22nd of June, 2022 there has been an all-party meet which took

place in order to have a discussion about the proposal of simultaneous elections. However, it is not unbearable to think that the Indian Political System is indelibly in an election mood. Barring the 5-year tenure at the Lok Sabha. The country witnesses elections to about 5-7 State Assemblies every year on average. 

Since 2016, The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi has been promoting a very staunch belief in the concept of “One Nation, One Election”. In recent times, The Hon’ble Prime Minister strongly pitched his support for holding simultaneous elections at public forums. However, an election is a term that has a great impact on every single person in this country. Thus, the idea of simultaneous elections should be open to innumerable debates, discussions, and consensus-building exercises amongst the key stakeholders, as this is a matter of national importance.

The Law commission drafted a report about the proposal and submitted it to the Government on the 30th of August, 2018. It endorsed changes to the Constitution and the electoral law so as to sanction holding simultaneous polls. Elections to the state assemblies and Lok Sabha are held separately. The terms of Legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha may not coincide with one another. For instance, Rajasthan faced elections in 2018, whereas Tamil Nadu will go to elections only in 2021. The concept of “One Nation, One Election” carries the idea that elections in all states and in the Lok Sabha will have to be held simultaneously. 

According to the Commission in its report, it is recommended that all the elections which were due on the calendar should be conducted together. The timing of this election should be beneficial to all the state legislatures involved and also in The Lok Sabha. In the states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, and Rajasthan, the elections are due at the end of 2018 and early January 2019. These assembly elections are due before the Lok Sabha election. And the states which have their assembly elections due after the Lok Sabha election are Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Delhi. 

However, there is a second option to complete the due elections in these states. Firstly, the elections to the 12 State Legislative Assemblies and one Union Territory would be synchronized with elections to the Lok Sabha in 2019. Next, elections to the remaining State Legislative Assemblies will be synchronized with that of one Union Territory by the end of 2021. This makes elections across the country coincide in such a manner that they will be held twice every five years.

The Commission also noted that if a no-confidence motion is passed it may curtail the term of the Lok Sabha/ state assembly. Thus it recommended replacing the ‘no confidence motion’ with a ‘constructive vote of no confidence’, through appropriate amendments. The option of limiting the number of such motions during the terms of the House/ Assembly was also suggested. However, it is also beneficial to have simultaneous polls. Simultaneous polls reduce the cost of having different elections, the system will hold the ruling party to be focused on good governance instead of focusing on elections, and according to the Law Commission, simultaneous polls will boost voter turnout.

When talking about the good one should also talk about the bad. Repeated elections also enhance the government’s accountability and also forces them to be on their toes to the common people, which becomes a difficult task if the elections are held after every five years, the National and state issues are different, thus holding simultaneous elections is likely to affect the judgment of voters.

The proposal for simultaneous elections is incomplete without addressing how to make simultaneous elections sustainable over the longer term. The constitutional provisions aren’t responsible for fixing the term of a State Assembly or the Lok Sabha, it would only be a matter of time before the electoral cycle gets disturbed again. Without a general unanimity and wider affirmation, its desire and potency could be compromised. The Constitution provides sufficient room to make amendments to suit the changing times and needs of the country. It is also the responsibility of Governments to provide the best governance systems for their citizens.

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