Editorial Analysis à 23 July 2022 – The Hindu
Simultaneous Elections
History of Simultaneous Elections:
- At least since 1983, when the Election Commission originally put out the concept. On the other hand, concurrent elections persisted as the rule in India until 1967.
- The first national elections for the House of People (Lok Sabha) and the State Legislative Assemblies took place in 1951–1952.
- This pattern was replicated in the three general elections that followed, in 1957, 1962, and 1967.
- In 1968 and 1969, a number of legislative assemblies were prematurely dissolved, breaking the pattern.
- The Lok Sabha was prematurely dissolved in 1970, and fresh elections were held the following year. The First, Second, and Third Lok Sabhas consequently had respective terms of five years.
- Separate elections for the Lok Sabha and many State Legislative Assemblies have been held, breaking the cycle of simultaneous elections as a result of early dissolutions and extensions of terms in both the Lok Sabha and various State Legislative Assemblies.
Advantages of Simultaneous Elections:
- The nation conducts at least one election per year, with each state holding its own, according to a report by the NITI Aayog. In that document, NITI Aayog made note of the numerous direct and indirect effects of holding multiple elections.
- Financial expendituresassociated with elections are incalculable; for a state the size of Bihar, direct costs are estimated to be over Rs 300 crore. However, there are additional monetary expenses in addition to unquantifiable economic effects.
- Every election, election duty and related activities prevent government apparatus from performing its usual duties.
- The election budget excludes these millions of man-hours in costs.
- Policy impasse:The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has an effect on government officials because no new significant policy can be announced and put into effect after the elections are called.
- Costs Associated With Constantly Deploying and Moving Security Officers:The constant deployment and transfer of security professionals comes at a significant and evident expense.
- The cost to the government of diverting these soldiers from critical areas, as well as the weariness and sicknesses that come with frequent cross-country deployments, is bigger and hidden.
Cons of Simultaneous Elections:
- In order to align election dates with the national deadline, simultaneous elections would require arbitrarily shortening or lengthening the current legislators’ terms of office.
- A decision like this would jeopardise both democracy and federalism.
- Simultaneous Elections are Against the Spirit of Democracy: Because it creates an unnatural election cycle and restricts voter choice, some people think that forcing simultaneous elections is against the spirit of democracy.
- Regional Parties at a Disadvantage:In simultaneous elections, inhabitants of a region are more inclined to vote for the leading party in the centre, putting regional parties at a disadvantage.
- Reduced Accountability:Politicians are held more accountable and on their toes when they must campaign for voters more frequently than once every five years.
Conclusion:
- Amendments to the constitution and other laws would almost certainly be necessary if there were simultaneous elections.
- But care must be taken to avoid undermining the fundamental principles of democracy and federalism.
- The Law Commission has suggested a solution in this regard, namely classifying states according to how far away the subsequent general election is, holding the State Assembly elections simultaneously with the subsequent Lok Sabha election, and holding a second round for the remaining States 30 months later.
- However, there is no assurance that mid-term elections won’t be necessary.
