CABINET NOD TO ‘ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION’
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 18: The Opposition Trinamool Congress has welcomed the Centre’s one nation, one election move, terming it as the need of the hour.
Meghalaya TMC president Charles Pyngrope on Wednesday said he welcomes the move in the interest of the country and added that he has no problem even if his tenure as member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly is cut short.
The UDP and the VPP refused to comment on the development, saying they would put their heads together before making their stand clear.
Moving ahead with its “one nation, one election” plan, the government on Wednesday accepted a high-level panel’s recommendations for holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner after a countrywide consensus-building exercise.
Mentioning that he had not gone through the details, Pyngrope said, “In my personal opinion, one nation, one election is the need of the hour. We don’t have to waste time every second year in elections as it is impacts the exchequer.”
Pointing out that unlike the United States, the country follows a parliamentary system of democracy which is different, he said, “Of course there are pros and cons; we do not deny that but if it benefits the country then why not?”
Stating that the current system of holding elections is cyclic in nature with the MP elections coming soon after the MLA elections and then the MDC elections, Pyngrope said, “It is one cycle for five years where some MLAs, who are also presidents of political parties, will have to think about elections round-the-clock and the agenda of building the state is diluted as they are focused elsewhere.”
Refusing to comment on the Union cabinet’s nod to one nation, one election, VPP’s Lok Sabha member Ricky AJ Syngkon said, “We will sit and take a call and it will be made known.”
UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh spoke on similar lines. “Let us wait and see. We also have to discuss what is acceptable and what not; the pros and cons,” he said.
“We will sit and discuss with our party leaders and we will get their views and opinion as this is a matter which cannot be decided alone,” he added.
Earlier, announcing the Union Cabinet’s approval to the proposal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said an implementation group would be formed to take forward the recommendations of the panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind and detailed discussions would be held on various fora across the country over the next few months.
“We will seek to create a consensus over the next few months…. Our government believes in creating a consensus on items which affect democracy and the nation in the long run. This is a subject, a topic that will strengthen our nation…,” Vaishnaw said.
Asked by reporters when the recommendations could be implemented and whether a bill would be brought in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, Vaishnaw evaded a direct reply but pointed out that Home Minister Amit Shah has said the government would implement it in its current tenure.
After the discussions are completed, implementation would follow in steps and it would be the government’s endeavour to build a consensus over the next few months, he said.
Once the consultation process is over, the Law ministry will draft a bill, place it before the cabinet and subsequently, take it to Parliament for simultaneous polls to come into effect, the minister added.
Sources in the government later said a singular bill or a set of bills will be brought before Parliament.
In its report submitted to the government in March, just before the general election was announced, the Kovind panel recommended implementing “one nation, one election” in two phases – simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in the first phase and elections for local bodies like panchayats and municipal bodies within 100 days of the general election in the second phase.
It also recommended a common electoral roll, which would need coordination between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and state election commissions.
The Kovind panel has recommended 18 constitutional amendments, most of which will not need ratification by state Assemblies. However, these would require certain Constitution amendment bills that would have to be passed by Parliament.
Some proposed changes regarding the single electoral roll and single voter ID card would need ratification by at least half of the states.
The issue of simultaneous polls has been on the BJP’s election manifestoes as part of its electoral reforms.
The country had simultaneous elections between 1951 and 1967 but thereafter, polls started getting dispersed due to various reasons, including mid-term elections.
While the Lok Sabha polls were held in May-June this year, states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh also went to polls along with the parliamentary election.
The Assembly election process for Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana is currently under way, while Maharashtra and Jharkhand are also scheduled to go to polls later this year.
Delhi and Bihar are among the states that are scheduled to go to polls in 2025.
The terms of the current assemblies in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry will end in 2026, while the terms of the Goa, Gujarat, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assemblies will end in 2027.
The terms of the state assemblies in Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Telangana will end in 2028.
The terms of the current Lok Sabha and the state assemblies that went to polls together this year will end in 2029. (With PTI inputs)