Modi Government Sets Up Panel On 'One Nation, One Election' Amid Speculation Over Special Parliament Session

Taking a significant step towards the implementation of the 'one nation, one election' proposal, the central government has established a committee to examine the matter and present a report.

This committee will be chaired by former president Ram Nath Kovind.

In a related development, the government recently announced a special session of Parliament scheduled from 18-22 September.

Speculations are rife that a bill on 'one nation, one election' might be introduced during this session, although no official confirmation has been provided yet.

The concept of 'one nation, one election' entails conducting simultaneous Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) and state assembly elections across the entire country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have expressed their support for this idea on multiple occasions, even including it in their manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Simultaneous elections were the norm in India until 1967, with four elections being held in this manner. However, this practice was discontinued after certain state assemblies were dissolved prematurely in 1968-69.

Subsequently, the Lok Sabha was dissolved a year ahead of schedule, leading to mid-term elections being held in 1971.

The BJP made a promise in its 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto to develop a method for conducting Assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously.

The manifesto stated on page 14 that: "The BJP is committed to initiate electoral reforms to eliminate criminals. The BJP will seek, through consultation with other parties, to evolve a method of holding Assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously. Apart from reducing election expenses for both political parties and government, this will ensure certain stability for state governments. We will also look at revising expenditure limits realistically."

In 2016, Prime Minister Modi spoke about the idea of simultaneous elections, and after the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, he called for an all-party meeting to discuss the matter. However, several opposition parties chose to skip the meeting.

The Prime Minister's argument is that frequent elections impose a burden on the nation's resources and disrupt governance.

The setting up of a committee to discuss simultaneous elections has drawn political reactions.

D Raja, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India, criticised the BJP for being obsessed with one nation, one party, and expressed that the opposition's unity under the I.N.D.I.A banner has made the BJP nervous.

Raja said, "One nation, one election is not a new issue that has been discussed for several years. The BJP has shown an obsession with the idea of one nation, one culture; one nation, one religion; one nation, one language; one nation, one tax; and now one nation, one election; then one nation, one party; one nation, one leader. This obsession is what the BJP is suffering from."

He further added, "Dr Ambedkar stated that Parliament is supreme in our democracy, but the BJP is undermining its authority. Our Parliament is increasingly becoming redundant, yet they called a special session with an unclear purpose. Ever since the opposition parties united under the I.N.D.I.A banner, the BJP has been jittery and desperate. Mr Modi is particularly jittery."