After the cabinet approved the report prepared by the committee headed by former President Ramnath Kovind on One Country One Election, the opposition has intensified in political circles. After the cabinet gave the green signal, 15 parties including Congress have strongly opposed it. Congress has called it impractical and inconsistent. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called this plan an attempt to divert the attention of the public. He said, “It will not succeed… the public will not accept it.” Kharge made this statement while releasing the Congress manifesto for the Haryana assembly elections.
On the other hand, opposition parties believe that holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously is not only challenging from a practical point of view, but it can also affect the federal structure of the country. They argue that different states have different political and social perspectives and it will be difficult to handle all of these through simultaneous elections. Kharge stressed, “This scheme is only a ploy by the government to divert the attention of the public from its policies.” Other opposition parties including Congress also alleged that implementing such schemes can threaten democracy and will also affect the ability of states to take independent decisions. Opposing this scheme of the central government, the opposition has made it clear that it will raise it in Parliament and oppose it at a nationwide level.
The report of the high-level committee constituted on One Country One Election was placed before the Union Cabinet on Wednesday. The committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind had submitted the report in March before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that placing the unanimously approved report before the Cabinet was part of the 100-day agenda of the Law Ministry.
The high level committee recommended holding simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies as a first step and then holding local body elections within 100 days. It also proposed to set up an ‘Implementation Group’ to consider the implementation of the recommendations given by the committee. The committee also recommended the preparation of a common voter list and voter ID card by the Election Commission of India in consultation with the state election authorities.
At present, the Election Commission of India is responsible for conducting Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, while local body elections for municipal corporations and panchayats are conducted by the State Election Commissions. The committee recommended 18 constitutional amendments, most of which will not require ratification by state legislatures. However, some of these will require Constitution Amendment Bills that will need to be passed by Parliament.
Some of the proposed amendments regarding a single voter list and a single voter ID card will require ratification by at least half of the states. Apart from this, the Law Commission may also submit its report on holding simultaneous elections soon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong supporter of holding simultaneous elections. Sources said the Law Commission may recommend holding simultaneous elections for the three levels of government – Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies like municipalities and panchayats from 2029 and a provision for forming a unity government in cases like a hung House.