Govt notifies ONE-nation, ONE-election panel

Govt notifies ONE-nation, ONE-election panel

Subject: Polity

Section: Elections

Context: The Centre named an eight-member high-level committee to “examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections” to Lok Sabha, state assemblies, municipalities and panchayats. 

More about the news:

• The law ministry has formed a high-level committee to study the proposal of simultaneous elections in the country.
• The committee is headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, former Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission Chairman N K Singh, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve, and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari 
• Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will attend the committee’s meetings as a special invitee.
• The panel would “examine and make recommendations” for holding simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha, assemblies and local bodies, and propose changes in the existing law.
• It is also required to examine if any constitutional amendment is required to be ratified by the states, and analyze and recommend possible solution in a scenario of simultaneous elections emerging out of a hung House, adoption of no-confidence motion, or defection, or any such other event.
• The committee has also been asked to “suggest a framework for synchronisation of elections and specifically, suggest the phases and time frame within which simultaneous elections may be held if they cannot be held in one go.
• Crucially, the committee will also examine the modalities of using “a single electoral roll and electoral identity cards” for voters in elections at all three levels – Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies.
• It will also examine the logistics and manpower required, including EVMs, VVPATs

What is Simultaneous election:

• The concept of “One Nation, One Election” envisions a system in which all state and Lok Sabha elections must be held simultaneously.
• This will entail restructuring the Indian election cycle so that elections to the states and the center coincide.
• This would imply that voters will vote for members of the LS and state assemblies on the same day and at the same time.

What is the history holding of Simultaneous Election in India:

• Simultaneous elections have previously been conducted in India in 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967.
• Soon after, this norm was discontinued following the dissolution of some Legislative Assemblies between 1968 -69. 
• Since then, the Indian Electoral system holds polls to Centre and states separately.

It will need at least five constitutional amendments. The articles that would require amending are:

1. Article 83 (2): It says the Lok Sabha’s term should not exceed five years but it may be dissolved sooner.
2. Article 85 (2) (B): A dissolution ends the very life of the existing House and a new House is constituted after general elections.
3. Article 172 (1): A state assembly, unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five years
4. Article 174 (2) (B) – The Governor has the power to dissolve the assembly on the aid and advice of the cabinet. He Governor can apply his mind when the advice comes from a Chief Minister whose majority is in doubt.
5. Article 356 – Imposition of President’s Rule in states.

• For a Constitutional Amendment, two-third members of the House must be present for the vote. A consensus of all political parties and state governments is needed.
• After the Constitutional Amendment Bill is passed in parliament, it needs to be ratified by half the states in India through resolutions in their assemblies.
• Even if the Constitution is amended to bring about simultaneous Lok Sabha and state polls, huge resources will be needed. This would include over 25 lakhs Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and 25 lakh VVPATs (Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail) to conduct the polls. For perspective, the Election Commission is scrambling with just over 12 lakh EVMs now.
• A parliamentary standing committee had highlighted that in South Africa, elections to national as well as provincial legislatures are held simultaneously for five years and municipal elections are held two years later.
• In Sweden, elections to the national legislature (Riksdag) and provincial legislature/county council (landsting) and local bodies/municipal assemblies (Kommunfullmaktige) are held on a fixed date – the second Sunday in September for four years.
• In the UK, the term of parliament is governed by the Fixed-term Parliament Act, 2011