The Union Cabinet has approved two bills, including a constitutional amendment, to implement the 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE), aimed at synchronising Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.
This paves the way for the BJP's push for sweeping electoral reform—a core pledge since it came to power in 2014. However, the proposal has faced consistent backlash from opposition parties, who argue that it undermines democracy and violates the Constitution's basic structure.
Two draft legislations, including one simple bill to amend provisions in laws dealing with three Union territories having legislative assemblies to align them with the Constitution amendment bill, were given the nod by the Cabinet. The proposed constitutional amendment bill would deal with making provisions for holding Lok Sabha and state assembly elections together.
Earlier this week, TNIE reported that the bills are likely to be introduced during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. Officials said the bill would be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions with representatives of all political parties, aiming to build consensus on the proposal.
ONOE -- Beginings and Kovind panel
Simultaneous polls were held in the country between 1951 and 1967.
The government is of the view that ONOE will reduce expenditure in the long run and different parts of the country will not be under the Model Code of Conduct throughout the year due to various polls.
In September 2023, the government had formed a high-level committee, chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, to evaluate the feasibility of conducting simultaneous elections.
The panel had submitted an 18,626-page report earlier this year to President Droupadi Murmu after 191 days of research and consultations with stakeholders and experts.
The report argued that frequent elections disrupt governance and policy continuity. It recommended beginning with synchronized Lok Sabha and state assembly elections, followed by aligning municipal and panchayat polls within 100 days.
The committee proposed a common electoral roll, requiring coordination between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and state election commissions. Currently, the ECI oversees national and state polls, while state bodies manage local elections.
The recommendations include 18 constitutional amendments, most of which would not require state assembly ratification but would need parliamentary approval. Reforms, such as a unified voter ID system and a single electoral roll, would require support from at least half of the states.
During the consultation process, 32 political parties supported the idea, while 15 opposed it, according to the Kovind panel's report. It claimed that although 15 parties opposed the concept, they had previously backed the idea of holding simultaneous elections at different times.
"Those who opposed simultaneous elections raised apprehensions that its adoption could violate the basic structure of the Constitution, be anti-democratic and anti-federal, marginalise regional parties, encourage the dominance of national parties, and result in a presidential form of government," the report said.
Key recommendations by Kovind Panel
1. The government must develop a legally-tenable mechanism in order to restore the cycle of simultaneous elections.
2. In the first stage, elections for the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies can be held together.
3. In the second step, the elections to municipalities and panchayats will be synchronised with the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in such a way that the polls to municipalities and panchayats are held within 100 days of the holding of the parliamentary and Assembly elections.
4. For the purpose of synchronising the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the president shall notify the date of the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election as the "appointed date".
5. The tenure of all state assemblies formed via polls after the "appointed date" and before the expiry of the full term of the Lok Sabha will only be for the period ending up to the subsequent parliamentary polls. After this one-time transitory measure, all Lok Sabha and Assembly polls will be held simultaneously.
6. Fresh elections could be held to constitute a new Lok Sabha in the event of a hung House or a no-confidence motion or any such event.
7. Where fresh elections are held for the House of the People (Lok Sabha), the tenure of the House will be "only for the unexpired (remaining) term of the immediately preceding full term of the House".
8. When fresh elections are held for state legislative assemblies, then such new assemblies -- unless sooner dissolved -- shall continue up to the end of the full term of the Lok Sabha.
9. A single electoral roll and elector's photo identity card (EPIC) shall be prepared by the Election Commission (EC) in consultation with the state election commissions and the same will substitute any other electoral roll prepared by the EC.
10. For making logistical arrangements for the conduct of simultaneous elections, the EC may draw up a plan and estimate in advance for the procurement of equipment, such as EVMs and VVPATs, deployment of polling personnel and security forces and make other necessary arrangements.
Legislations and hurdles behind ONOE
The legislative process to implement the ONOE involves three bills, but only two of these bills, which were cleared by the Cabinet, are expected to be introduced in Parliament.
Two of the bills aim to amend the Constitution to enable the government’s plan for holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies in a phased manner. These amendments include provisions to modify Articles 82A, 83(2), and 327 to facilitate the synchronization of elections, with changes to the end of terms for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and the dissolution of these bodies. The bills will also amend Article 327 to include the term "simultaneous elections."
The third bill seeks to amend provisions in three laws governing Union Territories with legislative assemblies—Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir. This bill aims to align their terms with those of other legislative bodies and the Lok Sabha.
The statutes to be amended are the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act (1991), the Government of Union Territories Act (1963), and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act (2019).
Currently, the Cabinet has approved draft legislation for holding simultaneous elections only for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, sources said.
The original proposal by the Kovind-led panel also aimed to extend the ONOE policy to local bodies, including municipalities and panchayats, by inserting a new Article 324A in the Constitution. However, this provision has been deferred, as it would have required ratification by at least half of the state assemblies.
Sources noted that since a single electoral roll is used by the ECI for Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, the bill does not address a common electoral roll or a bill for local body elections at this stage.
The bills are likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha early next week, with the constitutional amendment bill potentially titled "The Constitution 129 (Amendment) Bill," sources said.
However, the path to passing these legislations is fraught with challenges.
While the bill on Union Territories will require a simple majority in both Houses, the constitutional amendment bill will need support from two-thirds of the members in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to pass.
Although BJP allies such as the TDP, Janata Dal (United), and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), all represented in the Union Cabinet, support the proposal, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will need backing from members of the opposition INDIA alliance and fence-sitters, including the BRS, BJD and YSRCP.
The NDA’s current strength in the Lok Sabha stands at around 293, short of the two-thirds majority mark of 361, with 542 members and one vacancy. The INDIA alliance holds support from around 235 MPs.
In the Rajya Sabha, the ruling alliance has approximately 122 members, a number expected to rise once the ongoing process to fill vacancies is completed. With a sanctioned strength of 243, a two-thirds majority in the Upper House would require 162 votes.
Political Backlash
While the ruling BJP and its allies are pushing for simultaneous polls, several opposition parties have opposed the idea.
The Congress has reiterated its opposition to ONOE and accused the government of trying to divert attention from "questions being raised on the electoral integrity of the democratic system."
Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The Union Cabinet has cleared the bill on 'One Nation, One Election'. The views of the Indian National Congress on this subject were forcefully articulated by its President Mallikarjun Kharge Ji on January 17, 2024. Nothing has happened since then to modify them."
Notably, Kharge, in a letter to the secretary of the high-level committee on ONOE sent on January 17, had said, "The Indian National Congress is strongly opposed to the very idea of 'One Nation, One Election'."
"For the sake of maintaining a thriving and robust democracy, it is imperative that the entire idea must be abandoned and the high-level committee dissolved," he added.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the move, terming it "unconstitutional and anti-federal."
"The Union Cabinet has bulldozed their way through with the unconstitutional and anti-federal One Nation, One Election Bill, ignoring every legitimate concern raised by experts and opposition leaders. This is not a carefully-considered reform; it's an authoritarian imposition designed to undermine India's democracy and federal structure," she wrote on X.
"Our MPs will oppose this draconian legislation tooth and nail in Parliament. Bengal will never bow to Delhi's dictatorial whims. This fight is about saving India's democracy from the clutches of autocracy!" she added.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Thursday termed the idea of simultaneous polls "impractical and undemocratic."
Describing the move as the "collective hijacking" of the electoral system, he claimed that it was a "conspiracy of autocratic idea against democracy."
"Sometimes governments become unstable even in the middle of their term, then will the people there live without democratic representation? For this, the constitutionally elected government will have to be dissolved in the middle and it will be an insult to public opinion," he wrote on X.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also criticised the ONOE bill, calling it "impractical" and an "anti-democratic" move that will erase regional voices and erode federalism.
"The Union Cabinet has approved introducing the draconian ‘One Nation, One Election Bill’ in Parliament. This impractical and anti-democratic move will erase regional voices, erode federalism, and disrupt governance. Rise up #INDIA! Let us resist this attack on Indian Democracy with all our strength! #SayNoToONOE" Stalin wrote on X.
Hitting out the Union government, Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann asked, "Why don't they hold 'one nation, one education' and provide health to all in the nation? They just want to go ahead with 'one nation, one election', but the issues of smaller and regional parties will remain buried," he told reporters in the Parliament complex.
Citing the recent assembly elections and bypolls, he said, "Why did they not hold elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand in one go? Why did they hold Jharkhand elections in two phases when there are only 80 seats?"
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday described ONOE as the BJP's agenda and said its implications need to be seen.
"They (BJP-led NDA) have the majority and they can take any decision. But, its implications and results need to be seen," Soren told reporters at the Jharkhand assembly premises. He said that all the elections were held simultaneously when the country became independent.
"This is their agenda. They will work on their agenda and we will work on our agenda," said Soren, the JMM executive president.
The opposition BRS in Telangana said it needs more clarity on the ONOE' bill, before taking a stance on the issue. The BRS had supported the concept in 2017 when a meeting was convened on simultaneous polls, BRS Working President K T Rama Rao said.
"But this is Modi 3.0, the third government of the NDA. I'm not sure what they have in mind. We are firm proponents of federalism and strong advocates for regional parties to have their voices heard. We will have to wait and see in what form this bill will come," he said.
Meanwhile, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi had flagged concerns over the practicality and implications of the proposed move, saying some key recommendations are "flawed" as he emphasised the need for a debate in Parliament on these issues.
The former CEC had also highlighted constitutional requirements for implementing the proposal. Any amendment would require a majority vote in both Houses of Parliament, alongside ratification from at least half of the states, a process that could prove complex and contentious.
