'One country, one election' plan is not practical, 15 parties including Congress, DMK oppose it

Speaking to reporters in Delhi after Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the approval of the 'One Nation, One Election' scheme by the Union Cabinet, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “This scheme is not practical. It is an attempt to divert the attention of the public. It will not succeed. People will not accept it.” 15 opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, are opposing the scheme.

This plan proposes to hold Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously, which is supported by the BJP and its allies. Many Supreme Court judges are also in favour of this plan. However, at least six amendments to the Constitution are required to implement it. This will require a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Although the NDA has a clear majority in both the houses of Parliament, a two-thirds majority in both the houses will be a challenge for the ruling coalition. Out of the total 245 seats in the Rajya Sabha, the National Democratic Alliance has 112 members. The opposition parties have 85 members. For a two-thirds majority, the central government needs at least 164 votes.

Similarly, out of the total 545 seats in the Lok Sabha, the National Democratic Alliance has 292 seats. A two-thirds majority requires the support of 364 members. However, the situation is likely to change as the majority is calculated only on the basis of voting by the members of the House when the bill is introduced and put to vote. If the bill is passed by Parliament, it will have to be ratified by all states and union territories. It is worth noting that only after all the obstacles are removed, this law will be implemented in 2029 as per the government's plan.

Why oppose? – Many arguments are given in favour of this scheme like the cost of election will be reduced, ruling parties will be able to do less work at the time of election, will focus on welfare schemes, voting percentage will increase, candidates will be able to control the use of black money and corrupt money for elections.

But this would require shortening the term of the legislature in some states and extending it in others. The Constitution and the Representation of the People Act would have to be amended accordingly. Dissolving state governments elected by the people before their term is considered against the philosophy of democracy. Moreover, state parties fear that holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections at the same time is beneficial to national parties and parties including the DMK are pointing out that this plan is against the federal philosophy of India.