12 february 2018 http://www.openthemagazine.com 49Subhash Kashyap, a constitutional expert who was secretary
general of the seventh, eighth and ninth Lok Sabhas and is a vocal
votary of simultaneous polls, believes it is now for the Govern-
ment to put the idea into practice. If it’s done in a phased man-
ner, he says, it would require no amendment of the constitution,
and the common-poll goal could be achieved by 2024. “all that is
required is the political will of those in power,” he says, “The ques-
tion is whether they want simultaneous elections or just a debate.
a national consensus may never be possible and this should not
become an alibi, like in the case of the Women’s reservation and
Lokpal bills. The rulers have to decide.” The framers of the consti-
tution had envisaged elections being held together and it was only
after 1967 that the “malady of frequent elections” started, he says.
TK Viswanathan, another former secretary general of Lok
Sabha who is now director, International centre for alternative
Dispute resolution, says given the current electoral cycle—which
has half a dozen polls every year—it would take a one-time exten-
sion or curtailment of tenures of most state assemblies to synchro-
nise elections. his predecessor PDT acharya, however, is sceptical
of how long it would last. While the idea is fine, he says, instabil-
ity at the centre or in any state could disrupt the timeline again.
also, a government could be ousted on popular will (‘recalled’,
so to speak). “[Such] accountability helps in course correction,”he says, “If elected representatives are assured they don’t have to
face people for five years, they will not look back.” he rejects the
two-phased approach as well. “Which decision was prevented be-
cause of the model code of conduct?” he asks. The niti aayog paper
counters a similar argument made by Former chief Election com-
missioner SY Quraishi, saying a politician’s need for re-election
after his or her term would ensure accountability to the people.
Modi seems determined to attract popular support for his idea.
“The Prime Minister has said we should evolve a healthy debate.
Taking cognisance of that, we held a ‘One nation, One Election’
seminar. The idea need not be literally one election. It could be two
elections. We have kickstarted a debate,” says BJP Vice-President
Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who is vice-chairman of the rambhau
Mhalgi Prabodhini, a training institute that held a conference on
the issue in Mumbai recently. a larger outreach, say BJP sources,
will help achieve a consensus on it.
“If the Government wants to have simultaneous elections
in the country at a single time, it would require a constitutional
amendment,” says natchiappan, “Parties won’t accept that because
nobody will want to lose their elected term. That’s why we suggest-
ed two phases. It’s more practical.” he says while some regional par-
ties like the all India Forward Bloc in West Bengal have expressed
concerns about regional issues and parties getting overshadowed,
others welcome the cost savings. The congress argu-
ment at his panel, he says, was that it was ideal but
also impractical; moreover, it could “lead to a scenario
where the necessary balance in Indian democracy, giv-
en the diversity, is lost”. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool
congress has rejected the idea, stating the constitution
provides five-year terms for the Lok Sabha and assem-
blies, but has backed simultaneous polls to panchayats
and municipal bodies. The cPI has said it looks ideal
but had practical problems. Sharad Pawar’s ncP has
called infeasible. The asom Gana Parishad, a BJP ally,
has supported the idea as a way to reduce the financial
burden on small parties. The Indian Union Muslim
League (IUML) is also in favour of it for similar reasons.
By Election commission figures, the General Elec-
tion holding bill rose from rs 1,115 crore in 2009 to rs
3,870 crore in 2014. The actual expenses of political
parties on polls are many times higher. Popular anger
has been expressed over the soaring figures. While
many believe simultaneous polls would be in the
country’s interest, others argue it would go against
the spirit of democracy; while some say it would
hasten development, others see no reason a model
code of conduct should impede it; while some say it
would save public money, others say it would shrink
the space for regional players and privilege national
parties; while some believe it needs no amendment if
done in a phased manner, others insist it demands a
two-thirds vote in Parliament. What all agree is that
‘One nation, One Election’ has political appeal. To
Modi’s credit, he is only too well aware of it. n“if “all
the Government wants
to have simultaneous
elections at a single
time, it would require
a constitutional
amendment. Nobody
will want to lose their
elected term. That’s
why we suggested
two phases”
EM sudersana Natchiappan
Congress leader and former head
of the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Personnel, Public
Grievances, Law and Justicesubhash Kashyap
former secretary general, Lok Sabhathat is required is the
political will of those
in power. The question
is whether they
want simultaneous
elections or just a
debate. A national
consensus may never
be possible and this
should not become
an alibi. The rulers
have to decide”