‘One Nation, One Election’ a disaster for democracy and federalism, says Owaisi

However, Chowdhury subsequently declined to be a part of it, which he made amply clear in a strongly worded letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Related: Kovind-led panel to explore ‘One Nation, One Election’ plan

Disaster for democracy

“This is the notification appointing the committee that will look into #OneNationOneElection. It is clear that this is just a formality and the govt has already decided to go ahead with it. One nation one election will be a disaster for multiparty parliamentary democracy & federalism,” Owaisi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The Hyderabad MP added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to reduce LPG prices because of the upcoming state elections, and he wanted a scenario where, if he won the elections, he would spend the next five years carrying out “anti-people” policies without any accountability.

“Modi government has downgraded the High Office of the President of India by appointing a Former President to head a Government Committee. Why has a former Rajya Sabha LOP been included?” he asked in a series of tweets.

This is the notification appointing the committee that will look into #OneNationOneElection. It is the clear that this is just a formality and the govt has already decided to go ahead with it. One nation one election will be a disaster for multiparty parliamentary democracy &… pic.twitter.com/sgKxOvG75A

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) September 3, 2023

According to him, the other members of the committee have clear pro-government views, which is evident from their repeated public comments. At least five Articles of the Constitution of India and a number of statutory laws will have to be amended before implementation of any such proposal, Owaisi said.

The proposal in itself is against the very spirit of the Constitution and the basic nature of federalism, he claimed adding that the panel’s scope of work is “against the will of voters and will defeat the voice of the people and is a dummy exercise.”

Related: Adhir Ranjan refuses to be part of 8-member high-level panel

Chowdhury opts out of committee

However, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday, 2 September, declined to be a part of the high-level committee announced by the Centre to examine the possibility of simultaneous elections in the country.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chowdhury said he had come to know that he had been appointed a member of the high-level committee on simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas.

“I have no hesitation whatsoever in declining to serve on the Committee whose terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions. It is, I am afraid, a total eyewash,” he said in his letter.

“Moreover, the sudden attempt to thrust a constitutionally suspect, pragmatically non-feasible and logistically unimplementable idea on the nation, months before the general elections, raises serious concerns about ulterior motives of the government,” he said.

One Nation, One Election

The government stated in the notification that elections to the House of the People and state Assemblies were consistently held concurrently from 1951-52 to 1967.

However, this synchronised election cycle was disrupted, and elections currently occur nearly every year and even within a single year, but at different times.

The notification said it resulted in “massive expenditure by the Government and other stakeholders, diversion of security forces and other electoral officers engaged in such elections from their primary duties for significantly prolonged periods, disruption in developmental work on account of prolonged application of Model Code of Conduct”.

The Law Commission of India’s 170th report on the Reform of Electoral Laws in 1999, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law & Justice’s 79th report in December 2015, NITI Aayog’s Analysis of Simultaneous Elections in November 2017, and Law Commission of India’s Draft report on ‘One Nation’ One Election’ in August 2018, also dealt with the topic of holding simultaneous elections to Parliament and state Assemblies.

(With PTI inputs)