International Journal of Political Science and Governance 2023; 5(1): 165-168

E-ISSN: 2664-603X
P-ISSN: 2664-6021
IJPSG 2023; 5(1): 165-168 One nation one election: Indian perspective
www.journalofpoliticalscience.com
Received: 09-12-2022
Accepted: 24-01-2023 Vivek Kumar
Vivek Kumar
Research Scholar, Department DOI: https://doi.org/10.33545/26646021.2023.v5.i1c.217
of Political Science, School of
Liberal Education, Galgotias Abstract
University, Greater Noida, Democracy is the best form of government and it is the society in which citizens are sovereign and
Uttar Pradesh, India control the government. Election plays an important role to make democracy strong and free and fair is
the key of Democracy. Election process is the fundamental characteristic of democratic society, as it
ensures the participation of citizens in the development of the nation. We know in India, Elections are
held generally every year in some of the States, and due to this development process is slowed down
due to the code of conduct. The idea of One Nation One Election, has the potential to stop election
during the whole year, the main idea of One Nation One Election is to conduct the election for the
Loksabha and Legislative assemblies and local bodies simultaneously. According to 79th report of
Parliamentary Standing committee 2015, One Nation One Election theory save the millions of rupees
in election costs of the government when Loksabha and state legislative assemblies held at the same
time. In this paper, the author investigate the concept of One Nation, One Election be related to India.

Keywords: Democracy, election, election commission, election reform, one nation one election

Introduction
Elections are the most fundamental requirements to operationalize democracy. In India,
every year one or more than one state served up for election. These continuously elections
are the drawbacks as the campaigning are tiring as well as very expensive.
A new concept of One Nation One Election is proposed to held election simultaneously in
Loksabha, legislative assemblies of states as well as local bodies’ election. In this process
Loksabha and state legislative assembly election conducted simultaneously in the various
phases in all the states. We know, in Indian Constitution, election at all level held after every
five year but there is no provision for that election are held simultaneously at state level as
well as Centre level. So the One Nation One Election is the method holding single election
for both Loksabha and State Legislative, instead of separate and continuous election in such
framework voters casts their votes for choosing members of state legislative assemblies as
well as Loksabha at the same time.
Free and fair election are held in accordance with the regulation and election commission
play an important role for secure free and fair election and helpful for making democracy
strong.gg

Election Commission
In India, Election Commission of India is an autonomous body which is responsible for
administration of Union and State Elections. Election commission of India established on
January 25, 1950 and January 25, celebrated as National Voters Day every year.

Constitutional provision related to Election Commission

Part XV of Indian Constitution (Article 324-329) is deals with election and establishment of
commission related to election subjects. Following Articles of Indian Constitution are related
to Election Commission:
Corresponding Author: Article 324: Supervision, direction and control of election to be vested in election
Vivek Kumar commission.
Research Scholar, Department Article 325: no person is/are ineligible or inclusion in a special electoral roll on the basis of
of Political Science, School of Religion, Sex, Race or Caste.
Liberal Education, Galgotias Article326: Election to the Loksabha and state legislative assemblies on the basis of adult
University, Greater Noida,
Uttar Pradesh, India
franchise.

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Article 327: Power of Parliament to make provision with the collusion at the lower level of civil servant and
respect to election to legislature. police bureaucracy in the favor of the ruling party.
Article 328: Power of State Legislative of a state to make 8. For more transparent election use of VVPAT is need of
provision with respect to State Legislative an hour
Article 329: Bar to interference by courts in Electoral 9. Stop the news channel and media as well as social
matters media for spreading false news and polls.
10. As we know 21st century is the century of Information
Role of Election Commission Technology so started E-Voting for voters that are not
1. Determining the electoral Constituencies throughout the available for physically cast their vote.
country on the basis of Delimitation Commission Act of
Parliament. One Nation One Election
2. Preparing the electoral roll and registering voters. In a report, Parliamentary Committee reported that if all
3. Granting recognition to political parties and their types of elections are conducted in the country at once, not
symbol and provide them status of National or Status only will it reduce the burden on election commission but
Party. the expenditure of political parties also reduced. Today One
4. Determine the role of conduct followed by Candidate as Nation One Election is not a matter of discussion but it is a
well as Party. contemporary need of India, as we know every year
5. Advising President on disqualification of MP and somewhere in the country election are being held. The
Governor on disqualification of MLA respectively. frequent elections have an impact on administrative work as
6. To provide election schedule as well as to sets the well as burden on political parties. After Independence in
election expenditure per candidate. the year1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967 general election have
been held together at center level as well as state assemblies,
Challenges faced by Election Commission after 1967 in many state as well as at state center level
1. Increasing violence in Election government dissolved many times before their 5 year tenure.
2. Not adequately equipped to regulate political parties as If One Nation One Election concept regulated then wit will
it has no power in enforcing inner party Democracy and give a new direction to the country because lot of times and
regulate party finance money spend in repeated election will be saved and this
3. EVM malfunctioning saved money use for country Development.
4. Multi voter ID card for the same person in Different
States Year Election States
5. Fake news and polls to manipulate election Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka,
2018
6. Booth capturing and Votes hijacking Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura
7. Use of illegal money in election Loksabha general Election, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya
2019
8. Cash for votes and items gifted to voters as a bribery Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana
2020 Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi
for votes
2021 Assam, Kerala, Tamil-Nadu, West Bengal, Pondicherry
9. Chunavi Rewadies announced by political parties to get
Presidential and Vice-Presidential election, Goa, Uttrakhand,
more votes 2022
Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat
10. Low participation of women in Election Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Karnataka, (Chhattisgarh,
11. False details filled by candidates in Nomination form 2023 Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Telangana, J&K-
and its very hard to cross check their details as many Tentative)
candidates don’t show illegal money and property in
Nomination form Election Commission expenses Loksabha
12. Shortage of Proper trained administrative staff and
Year Expenses (in cores)
security, that cause the election duration long and costly
1952 10.45
1957 5.9
Suggestions 1962 7.32
1. Biometric Voter ID card 1967 10.79
2. Organize workshop in every constituencies especially 1971 11.6
rural areas and special reserved areas 1977 23.03
3. Restrict criminal or person related to anti-social 1980 54.77
activities and should be excluded for being an election 1984 81.51
candidate 1989 154.22
4. Promote One Nation One Election strategies and invite 1991 359.1
political parties on their views on One Nation One 1996 597.34
Election policy that will increase the political 1998 666.22
participation and reduce the expenses in election i.e. 1999 947.68
elections are held every year at different level 2004 1016.08
5. Organizing special camp for voter ID card 2009 1114.38
2014 3870.34
6. Provide financial support to poor candidates such that
2019 6500 (est.)
he/she take part in contesting election
7. Commission need to more vigilant and watchful against

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Election Expenditure by all Political parties in Loksabha

Year Total Expenditure (in Crores)
1998 9000
1999 10000
2004 14000
2009 20000
2014 30000
2019 60000

Pros of One Nation One Election Cons of One Nation One Election
1. It will help Loksabha to complete tenure of five years 1. Need to amend the Constitution
2. Saving time 2. If election held at every five years at center and state
3. Reduce cost and save money spend in election level simultaneously then the interaction between
4. More focus on development- as mostly time spent in politicians and public less active.
conducting election campaigning 3. Need for large number of administrative staff and
5. Reduce the disruption of service sector- in election security for elections.
mostly Teachers and other Government official are 4. We know in Indian politics, voters have different
involved in electoral process that cause the disruption in political behavior on election at Centre and state level,
their academic or departmental work after implementing One Nation One Election its very
6. Paramilitary Forces struck in election whole year and if hard for them to choose candidate
implementing One Nation One Election, such forces 5. It affects the political autonomy of the state.
have not any burden of election duties up-to next five 6. It is difficult to convince and bring together all the
years. political parties on the idea.
7. Provide more time to all the stakeholders i.e. political 7. For holding simultaneous elections, the requirements
parties, Election Commission of India (ECI), for Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the Voter
paramilitary forces, civilians for the preparation of Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) will double as
elections once in five years. the ECI has to provide two sets (one for election to the

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Legislative Assembly and second for that to the Lok Elections.

Sabha). 6. Arun Kumar Kaushik, Yugank Goya. The Desirability
8. National parties can mute the voice of smaller parties at of One Nation One Election in India: Simultaneous
the state level as they have higher clout. Elections, the Journal of Social, Political and Economic
9. The Smaller parties that came into Studies; c2019.
being to tackle regional problems of the people of the 7. Parindu Bhagat, Purvi Pokharya. Conceptual
state will be side-lined. Framework- One Nation One Election, Ilkogretim
Online; c2020.
One Voter List 8. Meenakshi Bansal. The Concept of One Nation One
Only one voter list should be used for Lok Sabha, Vidhan Election: An Analysis from Indian Perspective, Think
Sabha and other elections, as we know that voter list is India Journal; c2019.
prepared by Election Commission of India. 9. Shubhank Khare. One Nation One Election in India,
International Journal of Law Management &
Advantages of One Voter List Humanities; c2022.
A common electoral roll will save an enormous amount of 10. Santoshkumar R, Lalithambika R. A New National
effort and expenditure as the preparation of a separate voters Election Reforms "One India One Election and also
list causes duplication of the effort and the expenditure. People with Three Votes, Voice of Intellectual Man-
An International Journal; c2020.
Challenges 11. newsonair.gov.in.
1. Persuading the state governments to tweak their
respective laws and adopt the ECI voter list for
municipal and panchayat polls.
2. For One Voter List Election Commission requires a
massive consensus-building exercise.

Suggestions
The mature approach calls for the option of states adopting
EC’s voter list. The EC’s voters list has to be made in a way
to fit the State Election Commissions’ wards which is a
tedious task but can be done by the use of technology.

Conclusion
The Constitution of India has fundamentally provided a
federal structure of State governance. There are several
government levels such as Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha
besides State Governments, Municipal Corporations and the
Panchayats. The power is not in one hand, it is divided into
various level of government while if One Nation One
Election came into the force then the power is on one hand.
It can be a remarkable change to the Indian election system
if it could be carried out with the proper execution of rules
and regulations, taking care of the rising need for good
administrative staff and security as “The standing committee
has said that solutions should be found to reduce the
frequency of elections India so that government machinery,
as well as election commission, can get some time for other
administrative works. For better democratic development
we should also think about improvements like government
funding of elections and computerised voting and providing
voter’s secrecy to caste their through electronic mode. We
have to be definitely careful in structuring and
implementing the One Nation One Election concept in a
manner and way that our faith in federal structure and
democracy remains intact. Now the big question is that, is
India really ready to change the traditional election
mechanism and to adopt One Nation One Election policy?

References
1. https://eci.gov.in/
2. https://www.bloomberg.com/india
3. https://www.cmsindia.org/
4. legislative.gov.in/constitution-of-India
5. Pib.gov.in. 2022. Election Expenditure per elector up
by twenty times in 2009 compared to first General

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