OTHER WAYS TO OPT OUT OF CONSTANT ELECTION MODE

As India is becoming an election-only democracy, holding elections once every five years would reduce the voter's participation. There should be other alternatives on the table too

- SANDEEP SHASTRI

The central government recently took a major step to keep its electoral promise and bring in a common schedule of elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies. It introduced the 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 and the Amendment to the Government of Union Territories Act 1963 in parliament, which was then sent to a joint parliamentary committee to review and report.

Without a majority of its own in the Lok Sabha, this time the BJP was unable to usher in any big-ticket measure during its first 100 days in office, unlike in 2014 and 2019. The move for one nation, one election (ONOE) can be considered such a step. Whether it musters the required support and then stands judicial scrutiny is a different question.

The Constitution Amendment Bill proposes that elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies be held simultaneously, followed by local body elections after 100 days. It may be useful to provide a context to this proposal now pending before parliament.

The first three elections in India—in 1952, 1957 and 1962—saw, by and large, simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Subsequently, in view of the early dissolution of legislatures, the cycle of elections for the Lok Sabha and assemblies had varying schedules. As a result, Lok Sabha elections had their own schedule and different state assemblies came to have their different schedules. This led to a situation where some election or another was on every year in the country; sometimes several times a year. This trend led to the demand for a common schedule for the Lok Sabha and state elections.