Political Diary
New Delhi, 22 March
2022
India’s
Perpetual Election Circus
ONE NATION, ONE POLL, ANYONE?
By Poonam I Kaushish
Barely have the
victory bugles in the recent five Assembly polls ended that Parties are gearing
up for the next round of the Great Indian Political Circus in December. Wherein
politicians of every colour, caste-creed with a heavy dose of vote-bank
politics, replete with I-me myself syndrome are serenading voters. Worse, even
the semblance of administration is being dispensed with resulting in a chronic malady.
Let’s face it. Post 2019 Lok Sabha elections till
date the country witnessed 24 State Assembly polls and is now readying itself
for Gujarat and Himachal end year, followed by Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya February,
Karnataka May, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh
and Mizoram November, Rajasthan and Telangana in December 2023, Andhra, Odisha,
Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim April 2024, Maharashtra and Haryana October and
Jharkhand November/December. In February 2025 Delhi goes to polls followed by
Bihar in November/December.
As the country jostles under the weight of all-year
Perpetual Election Syndrome (PES) which is wreaking havoc on our body politic,
it is time now for our Parties to seriously collectively think of changing this to One Nation One Election for Parliament,
State Legislatures right down to Panchayats.
In fact, Prime Minister Modi mooted this idea
since 2016. As it would not only save the
Exchequer and Parties money but enable Governments at the Centre and States to
concentrate on delivering good governance which come to a stand-still because
of the code of conduct. Besides, it gives ample time for netas and workers to take people-oriented schemes to the aam aadmi.
In 1999 both the Law Commission and Parliamentary
Standing Committee on Personnel, PublicGrievances, Law and Justice recommended
simultaneous Lok Sabha and State Assemblies elections for improving our electoral
system. Whereby both polls are synchronized together to enable voters cast their
votes on a single day at the same time or alternatively, in a phase-wise manner.
Think. One mega
election every five years with a common voter list would not only save time and
massive expenditures by Government and various stakeholders on frequent electioneering,
black money, halt engagement of Government personnel and security forces for a prolonged
period of time and perpetuation of caste, religion and communal issues etc.
Besides, it would get rid of incompetence,
malfeasance and casual governance, enabling Central and State Governments to work,
take hard decisions in public interest and deliver good governance without
worrying about the impact on its vote banks. Many good initiatives are dumped
due to poll considerations lest it upset a caste, community, religion or
region.
Frequent polls give rise to short-sighted
populist and “politically safe” measures over “difficult” structural reforms
which may be more beneficial to the public from a longer term perspective. Leading
to sub-optimal governance and adversely impacts the design and delivery of
public policies and developmental projects and other Government activities. All,
becoming victims of policy paralysis, mismanagement and poor implementation.
Recall, elections to Lok Sabha and all State Assemblies
were held simultaneously between 1951 till 1967 when the cycle got disrupted
due to premature dissolution of some Assemblies in 1968 and 1969. In 1970
Fourth Lok Sabha was dissolved prematurely and fresh elections held in 1971. Resulting,
in many unstable Governments at the Centre and States leading to early
dissolution of the Lok Sabha or Assemblies.
True, poll issues at the Centre and in States
are different; consequently it is not advisable to mix them. As it could create
confusion for voters as a Party could be deserving of support at the Centre for
its policies and performance at the national level but deserving of popular
punishment for its performance in a State.
Two, simultaneous poll could be motivated by political
considerations, as when concurrent elections are held voters tend to vote for
the same Party. Further, having a fixed term of the Lok Sabha and the State
Legislature goes against the basic tenets of Parliamentary democracy. Hypothetically,
if a Government enjoying the people’s mandate is voted out, it would continue
to hold office or be replaced by another Government, which might not
necessarily enjoy the popular mandate.
Plainly, a Government which lacks the
confidence of the House would be foisted on the people, with no say in the
matter. Smacking of de facto
dictatorship or monarchical anarchy, an idea which translates in to unrepresentative
governance.
However, some feel simultaneous elections
could be held for State Assemblies and they be given a fixed term. If an
elected State Government was to fall, the Centre could impose President’s rule until
the time for a fresh poll. But the Lok Sabha cannot have a fixed term as there
is no provision for President’s rule at the Centre. This could create more
problems than solving them.
Some Constitutional experts offer a solution.
If the remainder of Lok Sabha term is not long there could be a provision for
the President to carry out the administration of the country, on the aid and
advice of his Council of Ministers to be appointed by him till, the time the
next House is constituted at the prescribed time. Or if the remainder of the
term is long then fresh election may be held and the term of the House in such
case should be for the rest of what would have been the original term.
Either way, the idea needs to be debated
extensively. Its pros and cons weighed before arriving at a final solution as
the alteration would entail changing the Constitution’s basic structure.
Further, though the BJP backs simultaneous polls, Congress, Left and Trinamool
think it’s impractical, unworkable, not feasible and anti-democratic.
Where do we go from here? Pertinently, in 2015
the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law recommended “a practicable method
of holding simultaneous elections. In 2018,
the Law Commission tabled a set of recommendations proposing for a system of
elections modelled on Sweden, South Africa and Belgium. In Sweden, elections to
county and municipal councils take place in tandem with the country's general
elections every four years. Ditto in South Africa where concurrent polls are
held every five years.
Belgium's Federal Parliament elections are
also held every five years, coinciding with the European Parliament elections.
A similar system is prevalent in Spain, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Albania,
Israel, Lesotho Philippines, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Guatemala and was introduced
in Indonesia last year.
The US model could be
considered. The President and State Governors are elected directly for a fixed
four-year term and choose their own teams. The President is answerable to the
House of Representatives and Senate but is not required to seek their
confidence vote. This ensures good governance, stability and continuity
enabling him to take hard decisions without fear of losing power.
Clearly, time for winds
of change to blow out India’s PES as elections are the bedrock of our democracy
and we should avoid duplication of polls. With States in election mode every
year, running the Government is akin to running with the hare and hunting with
the hound. India’s democracy should not be reduced to a tu-tu mein-mein between Parties all the time. Modi could well
position One Poll as the next big reform to ‘clean’ India, take the
Opposition by surprise and market it as
enough of destructive PES! ---- INFA
(Copyright,
India News & Feature Alliance)
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