Why in the News?

With the Union Cabinet’s approval of the report by the High-Level Committee recommending simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, the debate over “One Nation, One Election” (ONOE) has once again come to the forefront.

How can Simultaneous Elections enhance governance and stability?

• Reduction of Policy Paralysis: Simultaneous elections prevent the frequent imposition of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which temporarily halts new policy initiatives and decision-making. This ensures that governance continues uninterrupted.
• Efficient Resource Allocation: Election authorities, security forces, and government resources would be deployed more efficiently since elections are held once in a fixed cycle, allowing for long-term planning and execution of policies.
• Cost-Effective: Holding simultaneous elections reduces the cost of organizing elections multiple times, allowing the government to focus funds on development projects rather than repeated electoral processes.
• Political Stability: It minimizes the risks of constant political instability caused by staggered elections, ensuring a stable policy environment for long-term economic and social development.

About the Voter Engagement and Participation:

• Voters may be more inclined to participate in elections if they only need to vote once to elect both state and national representatives, which can lead to improved engagement and turnout.
• Simultaneous elections make the process more convenient for voters, as they need to participate only once, avoiding voter fatigue caused by frequent electoral exercises.
• Voting for both state and national representatives at the same time can allow voters to make more informed decisions by seeing a clearer alignment of their political choices at both levels.

Impact on Political Dynamics:

• Level Playing Field: Simultaneous elections reduce the advantage for ruling parties that often leverage state elections for national influence and vice versa. Opposition parties will benefit from this, as their campaign resources and strategies can be focused at one time.
• Less Populism: With fixed election dates, political parties may be less inclined to resort to short-term populist measures, allowing for more substantive debates on long-term issues.
• Reduced Election Fatigue: Frequent elections can create voter fatigue and disengagement from political processes. Simultaneous elections reduce this fatigue, which can also lower campaign costs for parties.
• Strategic Alliances: Parties may form more concrete alliances across states and national elections, leading to more coherent national and state-level strategies instead of fragmented political campaigning.

Way forward: 

• Constitutional and Legislative Reforms: Amendments to the Constitution and electoral laws should be carefully designed to align election cycles of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, ensuring a smooth transition without undermining democratic processes.
• Building Consensus Across Political Spectrum: A broad political consensus must be achieved through dialogue, involving all stakeholders to address concerns and mitigate opposition, ensuring that simultaneous elections are seen as a step toward democratic efficiency rather than partisanship.

Mains PYQ:

Q Simultaneous election to the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies will limit the amount of time and money spent in electioneering but it will reduce the government’s accountability to the people’ Discuss. (UPSC IAS/2017)

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