Idea of simultaneous polls an attack on Union, states: Rahul Gandhi

The development came a day after Congress lawmaker Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury refused to be a part of an eight-member panel.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the idea of “One Nation, One Election” is an “attack on the Union”, as the party stepped up its attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre over its proposal for simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

Rahul Gandhi

The development came a day after Congress lawmaker Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury refused to be a part of an eight-member panel, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, which was formed to study the feasibility of having simultaneous elections across the country.

The Opposition party said the Union government’s idea would perhaps cause the “most drastic disruption in Indian electoral process” and the constitution of the panel is a “subterfuge for dismantling the Federal Structure of India”.

The BJP dismissed the Congress’s remarks, and accused the opposition party of “doing everything that holds the country back”.

The Union government on Friday announced setting up of the committee to explore the possibility of simultaneous elections, sparking a debate on a fractious issue with far-reaching impact on Indian politics, Constitution, and federalism. The announcement came amid speculation that some legislation to align national and state elections could be introduced in the upcoming five-day special session of Parliament from September 18.

On Saturday, the Centre named the panel members to make “recommendations at the earliest”. Union home minister Amit Shah and Chowdhury were among those named, though the opposition leader later declined to join the panel.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Gandhi on Sunday opposed the Centre’s proposal. “INDIA, that is Bharat, is a Union of States. The idea of ‘one nation, one election’ is an attack on the Union and all its States,” he said.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government “wants Democratic India to slowly turn it into a Dictatorship”.

“This gimmick of forming a committee on ‘One Nation, One Election’ is a subterfuge for dismantling the Federal Structure of India,” he wrote on the social media site.

“There will be at least five Amendments required in the Constitution of India, and a massive change in the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The Constitutional Amendments shall be required to truncate the terms of the elected Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies, as also at the level of local bodies, so that they can be synchronised,” he added.

The Congress leader said the idea was “extensively examined and rejected by three committees in the past” and it “remains to be seen whether the fourth one has been constituted with a pre-decided outcome in mind”.

The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha also raised questions over the formation of the panel to look into the matter. “Without undermining the wisdom of any individual, is the proposed committee best suited to deliberate and decide on perhaps the most drastic disruption in Indian electoral process,” he said.

“It baffles us that a representative of the prestigious Election Commission of India has been excluded from the committee,” he added.

Continuing his attack on the Centre, Kharge sought to know if the proposal should be executed without any consultations with political parties at the national and state level. “Should this humongous operation happen without bringing States and their elected governments on board?” he said.

The BJP has pushed for conducting simultaneous polls in the past, saying it will help curb spending and allow governments to function without the fetters that the model code of conduct (MCC) forces on development projects. To be sure, MCC does not bar governments from completing ongoing work or even announcing new projects in cases of exigencies.

Kharge said the government’s claims that the “One Nation, One Election” plan will keep a check on poll expenses is “foolish” since the “cost incurred by Election Commission in conducting all elections between 2014-19 is around ₹ 5,500 crore, which is only a fraction of Government’s budget expenditure…”

“Drastic actions like ‘One Nation, One Election’ would sabotage our Democracy, Constitution and evolved-time-tested procedures,” he said, adding: “What can be accomplished by simple electoral reforms would prove to be a disaster, like other disruptive ideas of PM Modi.”

“For 2024, people of India only have ONE NATION, ONE SOLUTION - To get rid of BJP misrule!” he said.

Congress leader KC Venugopal also hit out at the Centre over the constitution of the committee, calling it another “jumla” (hollow promise) by the BJP. “This is a clear attempt to subvert and sabotage our parliamentary democracy. It is also a ploy to divert public attention from the Adani issue. The intention is very clear. This is nothing but another jumla,” he told news agency ANI.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said that while the Centre’s proposal is not an issue, “the NDA government hastily forming the committee without taking the Opposition parties into confidence… casts doubt on their intentions.”

Hitting back, Union minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar said the idea of “One Nation, One Election” is a “powerful” one time has come to implement it. “It will save hundreds and thousands of crores of rupees spent on elections. It creates a much more predictable election cycle which allows the government to be better delivered. One nation one election is good for the people of India,” he told ANI.

“It (proposal) is certainly bad for parties like Congress, for parties that prey on weak and vulnerable people who have no interest in a prosperous India,” he added.

He also alleged that Chowdhury refused to join the panel at the behest of the Gandhis. “...I’m not surprised that the dynasty and the Gandhi family have called up Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and said don’t join the committee,” he said.