Very few nations have simultaneous polls

The controversial ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) has been approved by the Union Cabinet. For ordinary voters, ONOE might seem appealing as it would eliminate the need to vote multiple times for different elections. However, significant questions remain unanswered. Will ONOE cover municipal, panchayat, and other local body elections? Will voters need to use multiple electronic voting machines (EVMs)? Currently, elections in sensitive states are conducted over extended peri-ods to ensure security and fairness.

For instance, recent elec-tions in Maharashtra and by-elections in Uttar Pradesh were held separately. A key argument in favor of ONOE is cost reduction and minimiz-ing disruptions to governance. The proposal also suggests that the PM and CM would save time other-wise spent on repeated campaigning. However, will ONOE im-pose restrictions on the Prime Minister’s campaign schedule, limiting it to specific constituencies instead of nationwide tours? At present, the ruling party heavily relies on the Prime Minister to campaign for numerous candidates, including those with limited public recognition. Will ONOE reduce the selected representatives (including head of nation and state). The re-striction should cover their family members. Will ruling party and allies agree? In US, President is allowed to hold the post only for two terms. Why not the term of house also to four years. What about voice of voters? Will they be empowered demand dismissal and resignation of incompetent government? Critics argue that the ruling party aims to leverage the PM's popularity to overshadow local candidates, which raises questions about the fairness of the proposal. ONOE is un-doubtedly a complex and far-reaching reform, but it requires careful deliberation to address these concerns before being im-plemented.

–N Nagarajan, Hyderabad