“One Nation One Election”: The Ultimate Question Of Democracy And Federalism
Anshika Yadav, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow
Kamal Nayan Singh, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow
ABSTRACT
“One Nation, One Election” (ONOE) signifies all the elections at a time to the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and local bodies election so that all the elections shall be conducted simultaneously rather than at different time. The amendment in the current scenario of election seeks to reduce the frequency of elections and “financial burden of elections, reduce the defence personnel movement, reduce disruption to governance, and ensure greater enforcement which hinder because of model code of conduct. Supporters of the ONOE states that simultaneous elections could reduce “administrative expenditure, limit the prolonged imposition of the Model Code of Conduct”, and allow the various governments to focus on long-term development without any breaks. However, the amendments also raises significant “constitutional, federal, political, and practical concerns”. Various questions raises regarding the “premature dissolution or extension of legislative assemblies”, and maintaining the balance between national and regional interests in the federal country. This paper examines the constitutional framework, various benefits, challenges, and democratic scenarios of ONOE in India. This paper further checks whether ONOE can strengthen Administrative governance while safeguarding India’s “federal structure and democratic accountability”.
Keywords: Election, Constitutional, Administrative, Political, Legislative Assemblies.
