Stepping Off the Poll Wheel

Context: Perhaps, the time has come to consider the idea of simultaneous elections since the push for frequent elections, bear a cost on society.

Problems in Conducting Election in India

• Huge administrative effort and cost: associated with running elections (using elephants to carry Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to hilly and forested areas).
  • Rs 4,500 crore was spent in 2014 for the Lok Sabha and assembly election. - As per the 79th report, Parliamentary Standing Committee ‘Feasibility of Holding Simultaneous Elections to the House of People (Lok Sabha) and State Legislative Assemblies’.
• Implications for internal security: Deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) on a frequent basis impact their training and the rule of law.
• Policy Paralysis and governance deficit: administrative machinery of the Centre and state is used on a quarterly basis to conduct elections here and there.
  • Politicians of all parties are forced to stay in a state of a permanent campaign (impacting governance), and schools, teachers and other administration is heavily deployed.

Arguments in Favour of Holding Simultaneous Elections in India

• Examples around the world
  • In Sweden, elections to the local county and municipal councils happen simultaneously.
  • South Africa conducts simultaneous elections to the national and provincial legislatures with municipal elections being conducted about two years later.
  • Britain passed the Fixed-term Parliaments Act in 2011 and mandated that elections would be held on the first Thursday of May every five years, with Parliament barred from extending its session beyond five years.
    • Early elections were only allowed if 2/3rd of the House agreed, or a no-confidence motion was passed.
• Not a new idea in India: first general elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies (and next three elections) were conducted simultaneously in 1951-52.
  • However, when a few state assemblies were dissolved prior to their term ending, the overall cycle was disrupted, and elections for the Centre and the state assemblies grew out of sync.
• Reduced expenditure: while reducing the period during which the Model Code of Conduct is applicable.
• Help concentrate political minds on policy matters: which helps in reducing policy paralysis and overall deficit in governance as a result of clockwork frequency of elections.

Challenges Involved in Holding Simultaneous Elections

• Infrastructural challenges: EVMs, Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and indelible ink will have to be procured and stocked in advance and concept of postal ballots as adopted by other nations.
• Constitutional changes: to reduce disruptions due to. -
  • No confidence motion: Making a for confidence motion to form an alternative government mandatory with a no-confidence motion;
  • By-elections: Fixing windows for holding all by-elections, etc. (as suggested by the Law Commission of India in its 170th Report on Reform of Electoral Laws).
• India might lose its electoral diversity: Perhaps, which should be left to the maturity of the Indian voter.