One Nation, One Election: Concept, Benefits, Challenges, and Relevancy for UPSC Exam

One Nation, One Election UPSC: One Nation, One Election (ONOE) is the idea of simultaneously conducting the elections in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures. Earlier, until 1967, elections were conducted simultaneously for the Lok Sabha and all state legislatures and the early dissolution of certain assemblies led to the distribution of cycles. Now, the idea of ONOE has been revisited in recent years, and issues of frequent elections were discussed.  

The Law Commission of India, in its 170th report, mentioned that “this cycle of elections every year, and in the off-season, should be put an end to. We must go back to the situation where the elections to Lok Sabha and all the legislative assemblies are held at once. It is true that we cannot conceive or provide for all the situations and eventualities that may arise, whether on account of the use of Article 356 (which of course has come down substantially after the decision of the Supreme Court in S.R. Bommai vs. Union of India) or for other reasons, yet the holding of a separate election to a Legislative Assembly should be an exception and not the rule. The rule ought to be ‘one election once in five years for Lok Sabha and all the legislative assemblies.”

One Nation, One Election is important for UPSC aspirants as it interacts with Indian politics, governance, and current affairs. Understanding the pros, cons and constitutional implications is important for both the preliminary and mains examination.

What is One Nation One Election?

One Nation, One Election committee is headed by Shri Ram Nath Kovind (Former President of India), and include members Shri Amit Shah (Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, Government of India), Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad (Former Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha), Shri N.K.Singh (Former Chairman, 15th Finance Commission), Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap (Former Secretary General, Lok Sabha), Shri Harish Salve (Senior Advocate), Shri Sanjay Kothari (former Chief Vigilance Commissioner), Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal (Hon'ble Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Justice) and Dr. Niten Chandra (Secretary). 

The ONOE is the idea of conducting lok sabha and assembly elections together so that he voters can elect their voter for both in one go; this would also involve the process of adjusting the assemblies to match the lok sabha election schedule, either by extending or shortening the tenure as needed. 

The ONOE was first proposed by the Election Commission of India in 1983. It suggested that holding elections together would reduce the administrative burden and costs associated with frequent polls. In 1999, the law commission also proposed the synchronisation of elections. Again, in 2017, NITI Aayog released a discussion paper advocating for simultaneous elections.

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One Nation, One Election Historical Background

The concept of simultaneously conducting the elections is not a new idea in India. After the adoption of the Constitution, elections to the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies were conducted simultaneously from 1951 to 1967. The first general elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies were held together in 1951-52, a practice that continued for three subsequent general elections in 1957, 1962, and 1967.

However, this cycle of synchronised elections was disrupted in 1968 and 1969 due to the premature dissolution of some state legislative assemblies. The Fourth Lok Sabha was also dissolved prematurely in 1970, with fresh elections conducted in 1971. Unlike the First, Second, and Third Lok Sabha, which completed their full five-year terms, the Fifth Lok Sabha's term was extended until 1977 under Article 352 because of the declaration of emergency. Since then, only a few Lok Sabha terms have lasted the full five years, such as the Eighth, Tenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth. Others, including the sixth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, twelveth, and thirteenth, were dissolved early.

Benefits of One Nation, One Election

The committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind shared their findings on simultaneously conducting the One Nation, One Election. Check the list of benefits below

• Helps in promoting Consistency in Governance
• The implementation of the Model Code of Conduct during elections disrupts routine administrative activities and developmental initiatives. This disruption not only hampers the progress of vital welfare schemes but also leads to governance uncertainty
• The deployment of a substantial number of personnel for election duties, such as polling officials and civil servants, can lead to significant diversion of resources from their core responsibilities.
• The ongoing cycle of elections across the country diverts attention from good governance. Political parties focus more on election-related activities to secure victories, leaving less time for development and essential governance
• Conducting simultaneous elections could significantly cut down the financial costs associated with multiple election cycles. This model reduces the expenditure related to the deployment of resources like manpower, equipment, and security for each individual election