Political consensus must for one nation, one election
Any change in the cycle of Lok Sabha and assembly polls will require amendments to the Constitution
On February 28, at a meeting of its chief ministers and deputy CMs from 19 states in Delhi, the BJP discussed simultaneous elections from panchayat to Parliament. Holding simultaneous elections is a feasible proposition, but important conditions have to be met before one can go ahead with the plan. The most important prerequisite is political consultation before amending the Constitution and statutes.
The first four general elections (1951-52, 1954, 1962 and 1967) were held simultaneously with assemblies. This pattern was disturbed in 1968-69. Thereafter premature elections to Lok Sabha and assemblies were conducted each time the government lost the confidence of the House. Since then, the conduct of elections has become complex. There is no doubt that clubbing elections will save on expenditure not just for the State but also political parties. A prolonged period when the Model Code of Conduct is operational would be reduced to once or twice during a five-year period.
There are, however, critical constitutional provisions that will require amendment. The Constitution prescribes five-year terms for the Lok Sabha and assemblies (six in the case of Jammu and Kashmir). Any change in this cycle will necessitate amendment of the Constitution. If a new pattern of simultaneous polls is sought to be introduced, the existing terms of some Houses will need to be extended or shortened as a one-time measure.
Detailed political consultations are needed to determine what would need to be done if, thereafter, any assembly loses a confidence vote. Would there be a spell of President’s rule in the state? More importantly, who will administer the Centre in the case of an early dissolution of the Lok Sabha? There is no provision in the Constitution for any interim measure if Parliament is dissolved before its five-year term. If the government falls within a short period, it would necessitate an immediate re-election, unless a new provision is enacted to take care of the interregnum.
There are other questions too: In case a government falls mid way through its term, can a ‘no-confidence’ motion be followed by a ‘confidence’ motion in order to install a new government for the remainder of its term? At present, there are no provisions for a ‘confidence’ motion. Some of these questions have been addressed in the Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee under EM Natchiappan in 2015. A solution that it offered was that elections could be held in two distinct phases. A clutch of assembly elections could coincide with elections to the Lok Sabha. The remaining could be held after two-and-a half years. Each of these proposals will need to be discussed by the political parties.