What is India's 'one country, one vote' proposal? That is why there is so much controversy
September 20, 20244 Mins Read
International Desk: Narendra Modi's government has taken a step towards implementing the 'Ek Desh, Ek Vot' (One Nation One Vote) system in India. The country's Union Cabinet on Wednesday (September 18) passed the 'One Country, One Vote' proposal following the recommendations of a high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind. This system is mainly for the purpose of electing Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha simultaneously.

The opposition has moved against the proposed electoral system. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "This is a strategy by the BJP to divert attention." And Trinamool Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien said, "One country, one vote is another anti-democratic gimmick of the BJP."

If all goes well, the 'One Country One Vote' bill may be tabled in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. However, several important amendments to the constitution will be required for that. Besides, there is also a question about how easy will be the way to pass this bill in both houses of Parliament.

What is 'one country, one vote'?

As per the proposal approved by the Cabinet of India, the voting process is to be completed in two phases. Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections will be held in the first phase. Municipal and Panchayat polls will be completed within 100 days. And the voter list will be one.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnab told BBC Bengal, "The Union Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the High Level Committee for One Country, One Vote. Simultaneous elections were held from 1951 to 1967. In 1999, the Law Commission in its report also recommended holding simultaneous elections in the country, so that the work of development of the country continues."

As the reasoning behind this proposal, he said, “Elections cause too much cost, disrupt law and order – which should not happen. Today's youth, today's society, today's India, those who want development to speed up, are not hampered by the electoral process, this is one country, one vote."

Incidentally, in March, the Ramanath Kovind-led committee submitted an 18,000-page report divided into eight volumes to President Draupadi Murmu, recommending simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and all the Vidhan Sabhas. 47 political parties have expressed their views on the matter to the committee. 32 parties supported the proposal of 'One country, one vote' and 15 parties including Congress and Trinamool voted against it.

According to the recommendation committee report, the first day of Lok Sabha session should be declared as 'Appointed Date'. After exactly five years, when the term of that Lok Sabha is completed, elections should be held in the Lok Sabha and all the state assemblies. From that point of view, if the first day of the Lok Sabha session after the coming to power of the new government in 2024 is considered as the appointed date, then in 2029 there should be a simultaneous vote in India.

Although Mr. did not comment on that. Vaishnava. He said that they are trying to implement this policy during this government. After passing the Bill, the 'Appointed Date' will be announced once the legal process is over.

Meanwhile, West Bengal assembly polls are scheduled to be held in 2026. If the 'one country, one vote' policy is implemented, the elected government in the state should be dissolved after three years or the term of the current assembly should be extended till 2029. Not only in West Bengal but in many states the same picture can be seen. Somewhere the term of the assembly should be extended or somewhere it should be reduced.

The major hurdle in implementing 'One Country, One Vote' is constitutional amendment. Apart from this, it is not easy to bind the tenure of the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha in the same period. After the implementation of 'One Country, One Vote', if a vote of no confidence is taken against the government elected five years ago at the Center or in a state, what will happen if that government falls?

In the event of a deadlock in Parliament and in the case of no-confidence motions, separate elections can be held, the Committee on 'One Country, One Vote' has recommended. But in that case the main purpose of that proposal is not succeeding.

On the other hand, the opposition parties have alleged that the BJP is making this proposal to keep the election results in favor of their party in the Lok Sabha polls. Many experts believe that if two votes are combined, there is a tendency to choose the candidate of the same party. In that case, the same party is more likely to win at the center and in the state.

Apart from this, a large number of poll workers is required. If Lok Sabha and Assembly polls are held simultaneously, there could be real problems in deploying such a large number of workers and allowing for fair elections.