‘One Nation One Election’: Take a look at AIADMK stance on it, and what experts say

“The process will strengthen our federalism setup, which might lead to better voter turnout and democratic participation. If the One Nation One Election electoral process is implemented, development will be the main focus of governance rather than populist schemes announced mid-way just for the sake of winning elections,” Palaniswami said in his statement.

He further said he believed that the “One Nation, One Election” committee formed under Kovind would take a strong and swift decision in favour of our country’s development.

Palaniswami has hinted on several occasions, after losing the 2021 Assembly polls, that there would be elections for the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2024 along with the Lok Sabha polls.

Related: The 8 members in the One Nation, One Election high-level panel

Seesaw on formula 

The AIADMK has seesawed on the concept of simultaneous elections in the past.

In 2009, when J Jayalalithaa was alive, she opposed the idea of simultaneous election when the then BJP leader LK Advani suggested a fixed term for legislatures by conducting elections for the Lok Sabha and Assemblies at the same time.

In 2015, with few suggestions, Jayalalithaa supported the idea of common elections before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, headed by EM Sudarshana Natchiappan.

The AIADMK submitted its stand favouring the simultaneous election in writing and that was recorded in the 79th Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee and concluded that simultaneous elections were required for long-term governance.

The seesawing did not end after the demise of Jayalalithaa in 2016.

Thambidurai — the key AIADMK leader in Delhi — wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi supporting the simultaneous election idea and also urged the union government to implement it by 2024.

In July 2018, actor Rajinikanth was about to launch a political party when he tweeted in support of “One Nation, One Election”, saying that the idea would save money and time.

Reacting to it, AIADMK spokesperson Vaigaiselvan told reporters that the AIADMK opposed the idea.

“But recently a party which is going to be launched by Rajinikanth has advocated for this concept. This could be his stand. As far as we are concerned, we do not support it,” he said.

On 29 June that year, the AIADMK opposed the policy in writing to the Law Commission, pointing out the remaining term of the Assembly till 2021.

In June 2019, the AIADMK — during a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) chaired by Modi in Delhi — submitted a memorandum opposing the idea.

Then AIADMK minister CV Shanmugam and Rajya Sabha member A Navaneethakrishnan submitted a memorandum stating that the idea was impractical.

Also read: Countdown for BJP’s end has begun, says TN CM MK Stalin

What changed?

That stand drastically changed after the AIADMK lost the 2021 Assembly elections. The party’s general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami started to claim that the state will face Assembly elections along with Lok Sabha polls.

On 28 December, 2022, when the Law Commission of India wrote to Palaniswami seeking his views on the matter, he replied that the AIADMK would support it.

AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan told South First that the nation had to show stability in governance.

“When Article 356 was used and different governments were dissolved, it created a burden not only on the Election Commission but also on the governance between the Centre and the states,” he said.

Asked about the remaining terms of the state government and the respect for the people’s mandate, Sathyan noted such governments had been dissolved nearly 40 times by then across India.

He added: “Every government paid a big price when the Emergency was declared. There is nothing to go with the emotional quantum of the voters or parties. There has to be a system to guard federalism.”

He also said: “Irrespective of the status quo, despite the Central government being different and the state government being different, the tenure will be the same. There will be clarity on where are we heading.”

Related: Opposition slams Central panel on ‘One Nation, One Election’

AIADMK to gain? Expert, politico weighs in 

D Devanathan, the head of the Political Science and Public Administration Department of Annamalai University in Chidambaram in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, told South First that “One Nation, One Election” would benefit democracy.

“In terms of development, the scheme of simultaneous elections will enrich governance,” he opined.

Asked about the AIADMK’s change in stance between successive elections, the professor said that it was obvious that the party would welcome the idea because it was in alliance with the BJP and wanted to return to power in Tamil Nadu.

“If the DMK was in alliance with the BJP, it would have also supported the, or it would suspend the issue based on a common issue,” explained Devanathan.

“Even when the DMK was actually in alliance with the BJP, its then leader M Karunanidhi suspended the implementation of certain policies of the saffron party based on a common agenda. The view of a political party on an issue is always based on the benefits it can reap,” he noted.

Asked about the AIADMK’s chances in Tamil Nadu if “One Nation, One Election” was implemented, Devanathan said that it would not benefit the AIADMK. “There is not enough awareness among the people on simultaneous elections,” he said.

Former Andipatti MLA Thanga Tamilselvan, who left the AIADMK in 2019 and joined the DMK, told South First that his former party supported the idea only out of fear of the BJP.

“As of now, it is not possible for the BJP to bring about a consensus on the matter. Even if it is implemented, the AIADMK will not win in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Stating that the “One Nation, One Election” should be brought without disturbing the remaining term of the state Assemblies, Tamilselvan added, “The AIADMK should analyse why it was thrown out of power.”

He explained: “The anti-incumbency factor worked not only on the AIADMK rule but on the party itself because of its alliance with the BJP. In such a scenario, how does the AIADMK high command believe that the people will forget everything in just a span of two and a half years?”

Also read: Shashi Tharoor says ‘One Nation, One Election’ is impractical