Unsafe remedy

The majority of political parties reject the Law Commission’s proposal to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies on the grounds that it negates the principles of federalism and is anti-democratic.

AMID the recent debate and controversy that pitched the Delhi government against the Centre over issues of domain and authority and which was settled by a Supreme Court order, the stage was set for another confrontation with the Central government showing a keen interest to push the concept of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. This has sharply divided parties and public opinion. The latest move began with the Law Commission releasing a draft working paper and inviting political parties for a two-day national consultation meant to evolve a consensus on holding simultaneous elections.

The push for simultaneous elections came from various fronts, although it was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that floated the original idea. The party promised to take the concept through in its election manifestoes in 2009 and 2014. The NITI Aayog, the “premier think tank of the Government of India”, too, pursued it. A 2015 Parliamentary Standing Committee report pointed out that the imposition of the model code during Assembly elections, which were held frequently, impeded development work. And there were the common arguments of “stable” governments and the high public expenditure incurred during elections.

The Law Commission’s understanding has been more or less driven by a political compulsion to formulate a legal framework for simultaneous elections. The only problem is that there has been no consensus on this, although the law panel does suggest ways to achieve a consensus in order to make the constitutional amendments.

Arguing that simultaneous elections were held in the past, and driven by the logic of “stable” governments being a desirable feature, the law panel proposed major amendments to the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and also to the rules of procedure of the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies. These included suggestions

FEBRUARY 1967: The election information centre in Delhi, opened by the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department to give the latest party position in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. A total of 40 operators handled calls from telephone users.