The proposal for holding simultaneous elections to the centre and the states has gained traction in recent times.
But there are many practical difficulties and democratic challenges that needs recognized before proceeding forward.
What are the political developments regarding simultaneous elections?
Advantages - Simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies is said to have the benefits of saving poll expenditure considerably.
It would also help the ruling parties to focus on governance instead of being put constantly in electioneering mode.
The Developments - The BJP led government at the Centre has been talking about the need for simultaneous elections for some time now.
The Union Law Commission has sought the opinion of the public, political parties, academicians and other stakeholders on the proposal.
The Commission has also released a document outlining the amendments that may be required in the Constitution and electoral laws for achieving the same.
While the final draft will be put out after the views of the public are incorporated, the present outline itself holds very significant provisions.
Envisioned Provisions - Among the possible recommendations mentioned in the outline, there is a proposal for “constructive vote of no-confidence”.
I.e. while expressing lack of confidence in one government, members of the legislature will have to repose trust in an alternative.
Towards this end, even a temporary waiver of anti-defection law is being considered to help in forming a stable alternative government.
However, critics hold that such provisions for stabilising governments could be considered even now without simultaneous elections.
Political Motivation - Obverses believe that voters would tend to prefer the same party at the centre and the state if elections are held simultaneously.
In this backdrop, it is to be noted that PM Modi has clearly emerged as the primary pole at the centre with no potent alternative in sight.
Hence, sceptics believe that BJP’s zeal for simultaneous elections is driven by this situational advantage – which it seeks to capitalise on across states.
How can the electoral cycles be synchronised?
The primary challenge is regarding the termination of existing legislatures to align it with the parliamentary election cycle.
This would be difficult to execute as palpable political repercussions are bound to crop up on the timing and modalities of dissolution.
Additionally, this would undermine the federal polity and representative democracy that India has cherished since independence.
The Law Commission has suggested an alternative to this by indicating its openness to embrace 2 distinct electoral cycles into which states are clubbed.
I.e. to align elections for one set of states elections with the central and the rest will face elections 30 months later (mid-way through Lok Shaba’s term).
The decision on which states are to be clubbed together is to be decided based on the proximity of the state legislature’s current tenure with that of the parliamentary elections.
Overall, there are multiple difficulties involved in the process and detailed debates and deliberations are needed before proceeding further.
