Introduction

This article talks about how the Indian government has decided to move forward with a plan to hold all major elections—national, state, and local—at the same time. This is happening even though many political parties and people disagree with it. The idea of simultaneous elections was suggested by a committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind.

Article Explanation

What is the plan?

The plan is to have:

• National and state elections together: The government wants to hold elections for the Lok Sabha (national government) and state assemblies at the same time.
• Local elections soon after Local elections for cities and villages (municipal and panchayat) would be held within 100 days of the national and state elections.
• Changing the Constitution: To make this happen, the government will need to make changes to the Constitution. These changes must be approved by both Parliament and the state assemblies.

Why does the government want simultaneous elections?

The government has given two main reasons:

1. It would save money: Holding all elections at once could reduce the costs compared to holding them separately.
2. More focus on governing: Currently, political parties are always preparing for some election in different states. This keeps them busy with campaigning, and they can’t focus fully on governing or passing laws.

What are the problems with this idea?

While the plan might seem like a good idea, there are several issues:

1. Not much proof it will save money: There isn’t enough clear evidence to show that holding all elections together will save a lot of money.
2. Elections are already long: General elections in India take a long time because they are held in different phases across the country. If national, state, and local elections are combined, this process might take even longer.
3. What if a state government falls early?: If a state’s government dissolves (falls apart) before its 5-year term is up, new elections will need to be held. However, the new government would not get a full 5-year term. Instead, it would end when the next round of simultaneous elections happens. This makes the idea of saving costs less effective and seems unfair to the states.
4. It could weaken state and local elections: In India, people vote in national, state, and local elections for different reasons. By combining all elections, the focus might shift more to national elections, making people pay less attention to state and local issues. This could reduce the importance of state and local governments. It might also weaken federalism, which is the system where states have their powers and independence separate from the central government.

Why are people opposing it?

• It could harm federalism: Federalism is the system that allows states to have their responsibilities and power. If all elections are held together, it could take away some of the states’ independence, making them less powerful.
• Cutting short state governments’ terms: To align all elections, many current state governments would have to shorten their terms. This means they wouldn’t complete their full 5-year term, which is seen as unfair.

The article concludes by saying that political parties and civil society groups that care about federalism should reject this plan, as it could take away power from the states and harm the balance between the central and state governments.

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A fair Share. Tax Sharing, The Hindu Editorial Explanation 19th September 2024.

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