Pros & cons of simultaneous polls

With at least 5-6 State elections every year, the Model Code of Conduct is usually in force for a period of 45-60 days before the date of election. No new schemes or projects can be announced and administrative machinery slows down. Simultaneous elections, however, will see national issues overshadow regional and state-specific issues, with national political parties having a significant advantage over regional parties, a fallout that is detrimental to the federal spirit of the country. They will also mean curtailing or extending the term of existing legislatures, a measure, some say, would undermine democracy and federalism. Critics also point out the EC has been given excessive powers in proposed Bill. When the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle or building blocks are joined together, they present a composite picture of the intended object

While on the subject, it is worth noting that Parliamentary democracies, such as South Africa, Sweden and Germany, have fixed tenures for their Legislatures. Elections to the National Assemblies and Provincial Legislatures happen simultaneously in South Africa every five years, with the President of the country being elected by the National Assembly. The Prime Minister of Sweden and the Chancellor of Germany are elected by their respective Legislatures every four years.

The desirability of simultaneous elections can be discussed from the perspectives of cost, governance, administrative convenience and social cohesion.

It is estimated that the central government incurs expenditure to the tune of ₹4,000 crore on the conduct of a general election to the Lok Sabha, while the cost of holding elections to the State Assemblies varies according to the size of the State. And the financial burden for political parties and candidates is much higher. Simultaneous elections, clearly, will see a considerable reduction in these costs. At least 5-6 State elections happen every year, resulting in political parties, and the state and central ministers, being in a ‘permanent campaign’ mode, hindering policy making and governance. The Model Code of Conduct enforced by the Election Commission (EC) during the election process is usually in force for a period of 45-60 days before the date of election. And no new schemes or projects can be announced by the central and the state governments concerned.

With the primary focus being the conduct of elections, the administrative machinery in the districts slows down during election periods. Paramilitary forces are withdrawn from the locations in which they are posted and deployed to the States concerned. Frequent elections, therefore, have an adverse impact on administrative efficiency. Especially on account of staff being deployed for election duty, as also declaration of holidays for offices on election days.

Elections also result in polarising campaigns by all parties, a phenomenon exacerbated in the last decade by the advent of social media, thereby creating new fissures, and deepening those already in existence, in the country’s multi-religious and multilingual .society. India is a country with a federal polity and of sub-continental proportions, each state has its own unique set of issues significantly different from the others. And the Union and State governments have different powers and responsibilities, as mandated by the provisions of the Constitution.

Simultaneous elections, it has also been pointed out, will result in national issues overshadowing regional and state specific issues, with national political parties having a significant advantage over regional parties, a fallout that is detrimental to the federal spirit of the country.

A consensus on the issue is beginning to emerge, among those who are close observers of the political situation, political leaders, legal experts with specialised knowledge of constitutional matters, senior civil servants, and those in the corporate sector who are in the know of the thinking in the highest places. It appears to be that the way forward should comprise several steps, which may include wide and deep consultation with all the stakeholders and dealing with the natural knowledge deficit, among the voters, about the manner in which franchise should be exercised in the changed situation. Serious consideration will also need to be given, to the desirability of using contemporary technology, to deal with the challenges arising from the changed system through the institution of appropriate innovations, such as online voter registration and voting,

There is a lack of consensus, among various political parties, about the conduct of simultaneous elections. The ideal middle ground may be to conduct the Lok Sabha election in one cycle and all State assembly elections in another cycle after two and a half years. Simultaneous elections also mean curtailing or extending the term of existing legislatures to bring their election dates in line with the due date for the rest of the country. Some argue that such a measure would undermine democracy and federalism.

And the latest news on the subject is that, in the Lok Sabha, on 18 December, the opposition parties described the move as an assault on the basic structure of the constitution, and beyond the legislative competence of the House. They also argued that the proposed move would require an amendment to the Constitution of India which would make the State Legislatures subordinate to Parliament, thus undermining the mandate of the people of the states. Further, they pointed out the EC, has been given excessive powers in proposed Bill.

The reassuring factor was that the Law Minister stated that there would be no tampering with the basic structure of the constitution, and also agreed to move a resolution to send the Bills to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

Building a political consensus, and getting the Bill passed in Parliament, is just the beginning. The actual work starts after that.

When the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle or building blocks are joined together, they present a composite picture of the intended object. On the contrary, a painting, with water or oil colours by an artist, presents an amalgamated picture, in which the ingredients that went into it originally, merge seamlessly. While the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, or building blocks, can be put back into the box where they came from originally. Such is not the case with the paints that the brush extracted from the colour box. Any effort to unify India as a country, whether in terms of religion, culture, language, or even elections, has, therefore, been informed by an approach more like putting together the pieces of a puzzle, or building blocks, than the use of the colours that go into a painting.

As everyone knows, Venkaiah Naidu, formerly the Vice President of India, is well known for his witty one-liners. I enjoyed many of them during my long association with him. The one, however, that really stands out is his description of the requirements for arranging public meetings for political leaders: “bottle, batta, and biryani!” – a characteristically succinct and earthy description of a winning formula!

One wonders whether the India (that, of course, is Bharat!) of today, is the same in which, in the days of the freedom movement, people waited for hours together to hear great orators such as Subhas Chandra Bose and Bipin Chandra Pal. As Mark Antony says, in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, ‘O, what a fall there was, my countrymen!’ There are certainly many honest and sincere political leaders in the country today, patriotic and public-spirited too. Yet, one cannot help but wonder if the spirit, that inspired the lyrics of the unforgettable poem ‘Desamunu preminchumanna..…’ by the legendary Telugu poet Gurajada Apparao still lives in their hearts. Gurajada’s poem was a clarion call, a rousing exhortation, to his countrymen to cultivate a lasting love for the country and its people – a spirit that seems conspicuously absent in the majority of politicians today.

(The writer was formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)