ONE NATION ONE ELECTION (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: Recently, the Kovind panel submitted its report on "One nation, one election" to the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Kovind Committee Recommendation

• Fundamental Transformation in Governance: Simultaneous elections recommended by the Ram Nath Kovind-led committee would fundamentally transform the electoral process and governance structure.
• Constitutional Amendment Proposal: The committee proposed amending the Constitution to enable simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies by 2029.
• Unanimous Consensus: Recommendations stemmed from unanimous opinions gathered from political parties, experts, and stakeholders, emphasizing the necessity for simultaneous elections.
• Enabling Legal Mechanism: The report urged the development of a legally tenable mechanism by the Centre to restore the cycle of simultaneous elections.
• Mitigation of Governance Disruptions: Simultaneous elections aim to reduce disruptions to governance and policy paralysis caused by the Model Code of Conduct, potentially boosting economic growth.
• Adjustment of Legislative Assembly Terms: Recommendations include adjusting the terms of legislative assemblies in three phases over the next five years.

Simultaneous Elections

• About: Simultaneous elections, or "One Nation, One Election," entail holding elections for Lok Sabha, all state Legislative Assemblies, and local bodies (municipalities and panchayats) concurrently.
• Historical Precedent: Simultaneous elections were first conducted in seven states—Bihar, Bombay, Madras, Mysore, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal—in 1957.
• Subsequent Changes: Despite initial success, simultaneous elections fell out of practice after the fourth general elections of 1967.