ONE NATION ONE ELECTION

1
One Nation, One Election

• GS2 Polity and Governance

2
Historical Background

• Simultaneous elections were held until 1967.
  Shift in practice in the late 1960s
• Evolution of the Idea
• 1983 Introduction of the concept in the Election
  Commission's report
• 1999 Discussion in the Law Commission's report
• 2017 Examination in Niti Aayog's working paper
• 2018 Highlighting of the idea by the Law
  Commission

3
Challenges

• Term Synchronization There is variability in the
  terms of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. There is
  a need to align these terms for simultaneous
  elections
• Constitutional Amendments There is a need of
  identifying key constitutional articles that
  require changes.

• Building Consensus There is need to build
  consensus in the public sphere as well as among
  the political parties, which is a challenge in
  itself.

4
Logistical Hurdles

• Increased requirements for EVMs and VVPATs
• Augmented polling personnel
• Transportation complexities
• Heightened security demands
• EVM storage issues

5
Potential Solutions

• Highlighting the historical precedent of
  simultaneous elections
• Considering expansion to local body elections
• Introducing fixed election dates
• Examining alternative government formation
• Discussing the need for constitutional amendments