One Nation One Election

What is the issue?

Prime Minister has been repeatedly emphasising on ‘One Nation, One Election’ as a necessity for development.

What are the challenges in Election Process?

• Elections are held at least every year for some State Assembly or the other.
• Recently, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Bihar had elections & this involves huge expenditure.
• Elected representatives switch over parties for money and power.
• Aaya Rams and Gaya Rams is termed for switching the parties.
• Anti-defection law failed in India & often there is tussle between Speaker’s jurisdiction and the court’s role.
• This leads to instability of elected governments & ruling party in the centre uses tactics to dismiss State governments run by opposition parties.
• At once, 9 State governments were dissolved at one stroke under Article 356 of the Constitution.
• Elected representatives enjoy Resort Politics-Koovathoor, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Jaipur.
• This creates a situation for repeated election & imposing Model code of conduct.

How is the election system in the world different from that of India?

• In England, the king reigns but does not govern.
• In the US, the President both reigns and governs & State Governor is elected directly.
• He is not vulnerable to the whims of the federal government.
• Russian President has altered the law to enable himself to be the President of Russia till 2036.
• China adopted one candidate election where party-chosen delegates cast their vote only for the leader of their party without any other option.
• But India is a quasi-federal country- neither unitary like Britain nor fully federal like the US.
• Minority government is always at the fear of execution in any time.

• The Charan Singh government was overthrown within four months.
• Last year, the Fadnavis government in Madhya Pradesh had to quit in three days.

Source: The Business Line