The idea of the One Nation, One Election might soon become a reality, as it will be rolled out during the current tenure of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), according to media reports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sown the seed of One Election, One Nation in 2014 during his first tenure. The government then formed a committee under the chairmanship of former President Ramnath Kovind, which has submitted its report.
The panel has recommended simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as a first step, followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days.
“The nation has to come forward for ‘one nation, one election’,” said the PM during his Independence Day speech. He stressed One Nation, One Election and the need to implement it as frequent elections created hurdles in the country’s progress.
The Opposition is against this idea. The Janata Dal United (JDU), a critical alliance of NDA, has backed the One Nation, One Election, but Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has been silent on this so far.
The Challenges In Implementing
The first and foremost challenge is to bring all the states on the same timeline. Ensuring that the electoral cycle is synched will be difficult.
So far, it has been unclear whether there would be a dissolution of Houses, President’s Rule, or even a hung Assembly or Parliament.
For regional parties, One Nation, One Election could cause a disconnect with their voters and they would not be able to highlight local issues.
