An idea whose time may not have come (Simultaneous elections in India & electoral process reforms)

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 An idea whose time may not have come (Simultaneous elections in India & electoral process reforms)

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Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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• A new debate, once more : The debate on "One Nation, One Election" has suddenly made a comeback, as PM Modi himself has raised the issue of Simultaneous Elections (SE) again. The BJP manifesto 2014 spoke of it, and thought it will reduce expenses for everyone, and bring more stability.
• Demerits of the present system : The PM feels that being in constant election mode is a bad idea. So, we must have simultaneous Parliament, Assembly, ULB and RBL elections once every 5 years, and end them in 30 days flat.
• Benefits : As per the PM and the BJP, utilisation of government resources and security forces would be optimal. Policy planning will be better. Odisha CM Patnaik supports this idea. The Law Commission report in 1999 supported the idea.
• The real issues with Indian elections :

1. It is increasingly difficult to fight elections. In 2019, more than Rs.60,000 cr was spent, way above official limits. Argument : SE will reduce this cost.
2. Frequent elections harm government work, due to Model Code of Conduct (MCC) getting operational. All new work stops.  
3. Communalism, casteism and corruption reach their peak during elections. We saw that in 2019. So, overall, it seems a great idea.

• The problems with SE :

1. If Lok Sabha is dissolved prematurely, like in 1990, what happens then? Will all state assemblies be dissolved too? And what if one state assembly was dissolved prematurely. There are no straight answers. And the problem will compound with time.
2. The MCC only stops new schemes that may actually be like bribing the voters. The old schemes continue as it is.
3. Accountability will go for a toss. Regular elections ensure that politicians HAVE to show their faces to the public.
4. Federal spirit is kept alive by regular elections. They ensure that national and local issues do not mix up.

• Reforms needed urgently :

1. Uncontrolled campaign expenditure : Put a cap on expenditure by political parties. We can look at state funding, and ban private and corporate funds.  
2. Reduce duration of polling : Instead of many months, bring it down to 30 days, by deploying more forces. Things are out of hand now.

• Road ahead : Reforms are a must, but not in piecemeal fashion. Let the debate happen.
• Summary : The idea of simultaneous elections seems very attractive, but has serious downsides as well.

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