The Union Government of India, in its push for electoral reform, formed a six-member panel in September 2023 to explore the feasibility of simultaneous elections. The proposed venture involves synchronizing the elections for the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament), State assemblies, and local bodies.
Understanding Simultaneous Elections
Simultaneous elections refer to conducting elections for the Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, and local bodies concurrently. The concept proposes to align the electoral cycles of these different governance levels, aiming to conduct all elections at once, ideally every five years. The first four general elections in India saw the alignment of Lok Sabha and state assembly elections, a practice that continues today in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.
Benefits of Simultaneous Elections
Implementing simultaneous elections could result in significant benefits, including resource efficiency, optimized administration, continuity in policies, enhanced voter turnout, increased accountability, and reduced polarization.
Challenges Associated with Simultaneous Elections
Despite the potential benefits, implementing simultaneous elections in India would face substantial challenges. These include required constitutional amendments, concerns over federalism, upgrading technological infrastructure, by-elections and legislative council elections, and dealing with diverse political landscapes.
Constitutional Amendments
Implementing simultaneous elections would necessitate changes to various constitutional articles, including the tenure provisions, dissolution of legislative bodies, and aligning different election cycles. This poses substantial legal complexities as alterations to key constitutional articles would be required.
Federalism Concerns
India’s multi-tiered federal structure involves multiple states with diverse political landscapes. Implementing simultaneous elections would require a wide consensus among the states, each with their unique political agendas.
Technology and Infrastructure
The implementation of simultaneous elections would necessitate upgrading the technological infrastructure, such as electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail Machines (VVPATs).
Diverse Political Landscapes
India’s multi-party system and regional priorities present a significant challenge to the concept of simultaneous elections. The proposed reform may overlook regional issues and dilute the representation of smaller or regional parties.
Law Commission’s Stance on Simultaneous Elections
The Law Commission’s draft report released in August 2018 explored the challenges and outlined solutions for conducting simultaneous elections in India. Proposals included reducing election cycles, replacing ‘no-confidence motion’ with ‘constructive vote of no-confidence,’ addressing hung house resolution, and ensuring timely disqualification.
In late October 2023, the panel assigned to examine the feasibility of simultaneous elections had discussions with the Law Commission about aligning Parliamentary and Assembly elections by 2029.
Implementing simultaneous elections in the Indian democratic landscape would involve measured, consultative steps along with adaptable frameworks to address complexities related to diverse regional dynamics while promoting administrative efficiency.
