'One Nation, One Election' Buzz Grows Ahead Of Parliament Special Session: Here's What PM Has Said About It In The Past

The Union government on Thursday announced that a five-day special session of Parliament will be held from September 18 to September 22, without revealing the details about the agenda behind it. The announcement met with the criticism of opposition parties, especially those from Maharashtra who contested that the session dates clash with Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, one of the biggest festivals in the western state.

At the same time, a lot of speculation is brewing over the possible discussions that could take place during the special Parliament session, which begins a week after the G20 Summit.

There is word in the air that the Centre may introduce some important and highly-debated bills such as 'One Nation, One Election', Uniform Civil Code and women's reservation. It is also being speculated that the session is being convened to initiate the transition from the old to the new Parliament building, which was initially projected to happen during the Monsoon Session.

"Amid Amrit Kaal, looking forward to having a fruitful discussion and debate in Parliament," Union Parliamentary minister Pralhad Joshi posted on X (formerly Twitter), without confirming any of the above speculations.

However, the ‘One Nation, One Election’ idea has been floated frequently since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. The idea is to hold simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and various state assemblies but it has been vehemently opposed by many parties. It has also been studied by the Law Commission of India.

While Outlook could not independently verify whether ‘One Election’ bill will be tabled in the special session, it is interesting to look at how the idea has emerged and why it is floating again ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Times When 'One Nation, One Election' Has Been Brought Up In The Past

In February this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an interview with ANI, said that “the time has come” to consider the proposal for 'One Nation, One Election'. He claimed that people have raised concerns that separate elections are not healthy for a democratic country. 

Modi too has on several occasions raised the issue in Parliament and at other gatherings. He has pitched that single polls will prevent the impact of the model code of conduct on development works every few months. In 2020, on Constitution Day, Modi also suggested a single voters’ list for Lok Sabha, assembly and panchayat polls, saying separate lists are a waste of resources. The PM said that national interest should be the basis for every decision and that legislature, executive and judiciary should work with better coordination.

Currently, elections in India are held at the end of the respective terms – whether of Lok Sabha or state assemblies. As a result, the polls are typically divided into two annual cycles – each cycle witnessing voting for a different state assembly. These polls are held for different states every year, depending on the respective terms, while the Lok Sabha polls are held nationally once in five years.

The new concept proposes to change this pattern and conduct concurrent elections for the Parliament and the state assemblies – with voting presumably held on a single day. 

The BJP government has been pushing for this idea as it claims that ‘One Election’ for all of India will aid better administration, smoother conduct of polls and also save the exchequer big sums of money. Passing the Bill, however, requires a constitutional amendment.