Guest Column| One nation, one election is need of the hour
Elections are a costly affair in terms of money, resources and time expended. They are being held virtually every year in one part of the country or the other. Having elections simultaneously will reduce disruptions and give a fillip to governance.
The first elections in independent India were held together. Subsequent elections till 1967 were held simultaneously to Parliament and state assemblies. Simultaneous polls were the norm until 1967, but the premature dissolution of some state assemblies in 1968 and 1969 and advancement of parliamentary polls to 1971 in the wake of the split in the Congress, disturbed the harmony. Thereafter, parliamentary and state poll cycles became increasingly disjointed on account of factors, such as premature dissolution, defections and splits. So, once the schedule was upset, India entered the perennial election mode, where expenditure kept skyrocketing.

In 1983, the Election Commission of India first proposed bringing back simultaneous elections. In 1999, the Law Commission endorsed the idea. In 2018, the Law Commission once again underlined how the concept of one nation, one election would save public money and reduce the burden on the administration.
Addressing Parliament in 2018, Ram Nath Kovind, the then President of India, had observed, “Frequent elections not only impose a huge burden on human resources but also impede the development process due to the promulgation of the model code of conduct.”
Elections are a costly affair in terms of money, resources and time expended. They are being held virtually every year in one part of the country or the other. Having elections simultaneously will reduce disruptions and give a fillip to governance. A humongous effort is required in the conduct of elections and there are drastic repercussions of frequent elections on citizens and the administration.
Development works, governance take hit
If there are frequent elections in different parts of the country or even in the state, the entire attention of the government is focused on them. Normal developmental works take a hit and the public suffers. For example, in a state, if the assembly elections are to be followed by panchayat elections, no developmental work is done by the government depending on what the priority is for the panchayat elections. If the panchayat elections are to be followed by the elections, then again development suffers. So, the entire state suffers. Once the model code of conduct is declared, all developmental work, except day-to-day administration gets delayed. Even the routine administration and implementation of ongoing projects suffer, as the political and government machinery get heavily engaged with the elections.
Frequent elections adversely impact the focus of governance and policy-making. In an article, former urban development minister and later vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu noted “the cycle of continuous elections was not only affecting the developmental process and good governance, but also forcing the political class to typically think in terms of immediate electoral gains rather than focus on long-term programmes and policies for the overall progress of the nation and its people”.
Frequent elections impact the focus of governments and political parties. Need to win the next impending election makes short-term political imperatives an immediate priority. As a result, sound long-term economic planning takes a back seat. There have been instances when governments have preferred to postpone implementation of important reforms due to elections – the direct cost of which is borne by the needy electorate.
Simultaneous elections will reduce corruption
The parliamentary standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice noted, “Frequent elections lead to disruption of normal public life and impact the functioning of essential services. Holding political rallies disrupts road traffic and leads to noise pollution. If simultaneous elections are held, this period of disruption would be limited to a certain pre-determined period of time”.
In an article, former chief election commissioner SY Quarishi said: “Elections are polarising events which have accentuated casteism, communalism, corruption and crony capitalism. If the country is perpetually in election mode, there is no respite from these evils. Holding simultaneous elections will help in this context.”
If simultaneous elections are held, election expenses of political parties will take place only once in five years instead of separate expenditure in every election. This will reduce corruption and the pressure of donations. This includes expenses incurred by the Election Commission.
Frequent elections lead the government to keep announcing policy decisions to woo the electorate, which extends to being one up on the other. This burdens the exchequer. With simultaneous elections, this tendency shall be controlled. A simultaneous election will save a great number of man days and expenditure in updating electoral rolls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been voicing this most important issue. Simultaneous elections are the need of the hour. It is only when expenditure is curbed will development of the nation get speeded up. This is all the more important, since India is on the path to becoming the third largest economy of the world. It is thus imperative to evolve a solution that stops this cycle of frequent elections and hold simultaneous elections in the country. rpachnanda@hotmail.com

The author is a former chairman, Haryana Public Service Commission. Views expressed are personal.
