One nation, one poll

One nation, one poll: Rahul Gandhis and Mayawatis skipping Modi's meeting will only increase Opposition's irrelevance

• The nature of Narendra Modi's mandate has been so overwhelming that the Opposition is still reeling from the aftershocks of Lok Sabha elections. They are still unable to come to terms with the reality even though the first Parliament session of 17th Lok Sabha commenced on Monday. Handed one of the worst drubbings of their career, many Opposition leaders are still licking their wounds. Some are still in denial, while some are caught in a state of suspended animation.

• When an Opposition is this demoralised, it becomes easy for the government — certainly one that enjoys such a muscular majority — to bulldoze through its agendas. The prime minister, however, reassured the Opposition that their voices and opinion will be given importance regardless of their numerical disadvantage on the floor of the House.

• "The Opposition need not worry about their numbers. Whatever numbers opposition parties may have got from the people, for us their every word is valuable. All their feelings are valuable," Modi had said on Monday while addressing the media outside the Parliament.

• In the spirit of this statement, Modi invited the heads of 40 political parties who have representation in the Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) to have a debate on several issues, including the idea of "one nation, one election", an issue which ranks high on the Modi government's agenda. Holding of simultaneous polls is not a new idea in Indian politics. In fact, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were held together in a newly Independent India from 1951 till 1967 when a premature dissolution of several state Assemblies broke the cycle.

• The issue has received backing from 21st Law Commission draft report that, over 160 pages, has argued that it will lead to better implementation of policies, less distraction for governments, reduce policy paralysis and save public money. Though the panel did not submit a final report, it suggested that it's time an idea like the simultaneous elections is an idea whose time has come "in greater national interest".

• The need for a Constitutional amendment, however, has been pointed out and it could be the reason why the BJP-led NDA government has insisted on having a wide-ranging debate. There is little disagreement over the fact that simultaneous polls make great economic and logistical sense. In 2014, the year Modi rose to power, the Election Commission of India spent Rs 4,000 crore in holding general elections. Whereas, according to EC estimates, the cost of holding simultaneous polls could be around Rs 4,500 crore.

• A 2017 report in The Hindu Business Line notes, "A NITI Aayog paper points out that in the last 30 years, there has not been a single year without an election to either the State Assembly or the Lok Sabha or both. The Model Code of Conduct will be in operation for four months in a year till 2021 under the current election schedule, disrupting government functioning."

• The issue for debate, therefore, is whether the simultaneous holding of polls presents the ruling party, or the dominant national party with an undue advantage in terms of relegating quotidian issues to the background since there is a strong possibility that a party which has a charismatic leader such as Modi, may be able to turn the election mode (at least virtually) from representative to presidential. This may push regional outfits to the background and undermine the Constitution's federal structure. It is also not clear what may happen if a state Assembly is prematurely dissolved.

• On the other hand, as the recently held Lok Sabha elections pointed out, voters are quite discerning in electing state and national governments that indicates a maturing of Indian democracy. In Odisha and Andhra Pradesh - states which went into simultaneous Assembly elections — voters settled for Naveen Patnaik's BJD and YS Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress Party, respectively. It is also to be noted that while the BJP had lost in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls held in December last year, the saffron unit won the Lok Sabha elections comprehensively in three Hindi-centric states.