One thing that has been making the headlines lately is the ‘One Nation, One Election’ initiative. The BJP-led government supports the Parliament bill introduced on December 17, 2024, aiming to bring back One Nation, One Election. But what exactly is One Nation, One Election, and why has it attracted so much attention?

What is One Nation, One Election?

At a very basic level, One nation, One election means the carrying out of the elections, both of Lok Sabha and of State Legislative Assemblies, simultaneously. This is another way of carrying out a nation’s elections and has its own pros and cons. It streamlines and fastens the election procedure but at the cost of political developments, government expenditure and dispersed security forces.

While this bill has attracted a lot of debate and discussions, the concept is not new. In fact, it was in practice in India from 1951 to 1967. Later on, political disruptions led the country to adopt the current periodic election system.

Why the Debate?

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, introduced by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, on December 17, 2024, proposed the initiation of One Nation, One Election. The BJP-led government is in favour as it was also in its election manifesto for 2024-2029. The Party rests its support on the fact that this initiative can streamline the governance and reduce election cost manifold. On the other hand, the Opposition does not agree with this. They have put to light the cons of implementing this initiative. They stress that holding just one election will severely overlook regional issues.

The Congress further pressed the need for securing at least two-thirds majority to pass a bill, which BJP could not. At the Parliament, 461 members were present and voting. Of these, BJP should have secured at least 307 (2/3rd) votes in favour of passing the bill. While it did come close to it with 269 votes, it was not enough.

The Supporters’ Stance

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP support the initiative and believe that the implementation would be very beneficial.

1. A combined election process would reduce the election cost significantly.
2. The governance could be streamlined due to lesser distraction as opposed to multiple elections happening all year round.
3. Security personnel wouldn’t be deployed multiple times.

The Oppositions’ Stance

While there are several benefits, implementation of the initiative has many disadvantages as well.

1. The Opposition’s major concern is that with the implementation, the regional issues would be overshadowed. The national and bigger issues could take the limelight while regional and smaller, yet equally important issues, may go unheard.
2. They also fear that imposing a unified system might weaken the federal system, which otherwise lets States decide their electoral cycles.
3. There would also be logistical challenges involved. As of now, both Parliament and assemblies run on different terms. To impose a unified system would require changes in both their durations, which wouldn’t be very feasible.
4. There is also a concern that National parties might attract attention even in regional areas, thereby centralising authority.

Conclusion: What’s Next?

Implementing such a big change isn’t going to be a child’s play. It would require a lot of amendments, discussions, and debates. It promises less expenditure and synchronised governance but faces many practical challenges. The pros and cons of implementing weigh the same and there is no surety as to what could happen. The coming months will be crucial for India as they will decide the future election process in the country.

Read More Article: The Concept and Vision behind One Nation One Election in India

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