Cabinet clears One Nation, One Election proposal
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for simultaneous elections across the country, aligning polls for both the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Wednesday.
Vaishnaw said the report was approved unanimously.
The decision follows months of deliberation and comes after a high-level committee, chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, submitted its report on the ‘one nation, one election’ plan.
The report, which was presented before the Cabinet on Wednesday, lays out a comprehensive roadmap for the implementation of simultaneous elections. The panel had recommended conducting concurrent elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies as the first phase, to be followed by synchronised local body polls within a 100-day period.
The proposal aims to streamline India’s electoral process by reducing the frequency of elections, which are currently staggered over multiple years at different levels of governance.
It is also seen as a cost-saving measure, with the potential to significantly reduce the financial and administrative burden of frequent elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong proponent of the ‘one nation, one election’ initiative. During his Independence Day address earlier this year, Modi had called for an end to the “disruption” caused by frequent elections, which he argued were hindering the country’s progress.
“Frequent elections are creating hurdles in the progress of the nation. It has become easy to link any scheme or initiative with elections. There are elections somewhere every three to six months. Every work is linked to elections,” Modi said in his address from the ramparts of the Red Fort after unfurling the national flag for the 11th time on Independence Day.