One Nation One Election bill tabled in Lok Sabha

The One Nation, One Election bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. It is a proposal aimed at conducting simultaneous elections for the Lower House of Parliament, state assemblies, and local bodies.

On December 12, the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Modi approved the proposal.

The constitutional amendment bill would deal with making provisions for holding Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly elections together.


While a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind on simultaneous polls had also proposed holding the municipality and panchayat elections along with the national and state elections in a phased manner, the Cabinet has decided to stay away, "as of now", from the manner in which local body elections are conducted.

A PTI source earlier said the Prime Minister emphasized the need for simultaneous elections to further boost development initiatives and overall growth, a point he has consistently highlighted since first making an energetic pitch for the concept in December 2016.


BJP’s push for simultaneous elections:

Simultaneous elections have long been a favoured idea of the BJP, with support from leaders like LK Advani. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been advocating for the plan since 2014.

The BJP's manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls had included its commitment to the idea.

The main argument for simultaneous elections is that the current system keeps the country in a constant election mode. In some states, elections for panchayats, local bodies, state assemblies, and general elections can take up to 200-300 days annually.

This continuous election cycle dominates public discourse, often leading to polarizing issues, hate speech, and political rivalry. It also results in prolonged imposition of the model code of conduct, halting government functions. Additionally, frequent elections divert politicians from long-term planning and cause government officials and security personnel to focus more on election duties than their regular responsibilities.


Another major argument is high spending on elections which causes widespread corruption too. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has strongly backed the concept of one nation, one election in its presentation given to the Kovind-led committee. It has said that though synchronised elections to local bodies, state and parliament may be a challenge, it would lead to saving of cost and benefit to the economy.

CII said that a nation always in election mode affects infrastructure and capital expenditure related projects due to delays in project implementation for lack of approvals and clearances during the model code of conduct. Elections also put constraints on government staff capacity during this period.

It further said that the private sector is reluctant to invest months before and after the elections. So is the case for public investment which affects economic activity, overall development and jobs and livelihoods, it added. "Simultaneous elections will reduce the delays and we believe the costs of delay by about half of what it is currently," CII said.

Arguments against simultaneous elections:

Congress, the biggest opposition party, has rejected the idea. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress leader in Lok Sabha, had resigned from the Kovind-led committee because its mandate was not to find out pros and cons of the issue but to suggest ways to implement simultaneous polls. Many other opposition parties such as TMC, DMK, and AAP too have vociferously opposed the idea.

The main argument against the idea is that it will marginalise regional and local concerns. In simultaneous polls, local and regional issues will be subdued by bigger national-level issues. This will lead to a homogenization of political discourse and make it difficult for smaller parties and states to put their ideas before the nation.