Lok Sabha and State Elections are held simultaneously. What could be the implications? Are there any cons?

In September 2023, Ramnath Kovind, the former President of India constituted a High-Level Committee (HLC). The purpose of the committee was to look into the matter of simultaneous elections for the State Legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha along with the local bodies of all the states of the country. In order to examine the issue, the HLC has invited responses from the Law Commission, political parties, and other groups on the issue.

What could be the advantages and disadvantages of simultaneous elections?

The simultaneous elections will be coming with a wide array of advantages and disadvantages.

First things first, the cost savings are going to prove to be an excellent advantage of holding simultaneous elections. Major expenses are incurred in holding general elections for the state assemblies and the Lok Sabha elections. However, holding these elections simultaneously will reduce these costs. This will further advantage the political parties and the government alike.

What comes as another advantage of holding simultaneous elections is the fact that frequent elections will hamper policy-making and governance. Holding the elections simultaneously guarantees governance efficiency in this respect.

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Social cohesion is another advantage that needs to be considered. Holding elections again and again results in divisive campaigns held frequently, however, this problem can be solved by holding simultaneous elections.

The next advantage to discuss is the administrative convenience that comes with holding elections simultaneously. Administrative machinery and the paramilitary forces are burdened with excessive work during elections, and holding elections one after the other increases this burden. However, simultaneous elections cancel this problem and reduce this burden.

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While the advantages of holding elections simultaneously are worth noting, every coin has two sides. Holding elections comes with a wide array of cons too.

The first disadvantage to discuss in the matter is the possibility of state-specific issues getting overshadowed in the process. This directly poses questions about the federal essence of the country.

Holding elections simultaneously eliminates the opportunity for the people of India to express their valuable feedback through elections quite often.

What is also important to note is the fact that holding simultaneous elections would require the support of the Constitution. In order to hold simultaneous elections in accordance with the law, various amendments will be required in the articles of the constitution. For instance, Articles 172, 174, 83, and 85 will be required to be amended in order to hold simultaneous elections in the country.

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