Simultaneous polls in phases, hints expert panel
MUMBAI: The expert panel on the proposed 'One Nation, One Election' legislation hinted that simultaneous elections, at the heart of the legislation, would be rolled out in phases, beginning with simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Local body elections would be added at a later stage. This was indicated by PP Chaudhary, chairperson of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on One Nation, One Election, on Monday.
According to a report submitted to the committee, which is on an all-states visit to seek opinions on the proposed legislation, simultaneous elections could save ₹7,500 crore to ₹12,000 crore spent by the Election Commission of India during each general election cycle.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and other political leaders, such as leader of the opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve, met the 42-member JPC on Monday. The committee explored the constitutional, logistical and consequential challenges relating to the mechanism of conducting simultaneous elections.
It engaged with representatives from various institutions, including the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, Bombay High Court Bar Association, MNLU Mumbai, NSE, BSE, MACCIA, and the Maharashtra Agro-Industries Development Corporation, to discuss the implications of the bill. The committee also met filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who shared his views on the challenges faced by the film industry due to frequent elections.
According to a presentation by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Election Commission of India's expenditure for the 2019 Lok Sabha election was ₹15,000 crore. The cost of conducting assembly elections can range between ₹300 and ₹1,000 crore, depending on the size of the state. According to various estimates, simultaneous elections can reduce election expenditure by 25-40%, with potential savings of ₹7,500 to ₹12,000 crore, per general election cycle,' the presentation stated.
It also underlined that, at the same time, the fiscal deficit for two years, pre- and post-simultaneous elections, may rise by 1.28% for the central government and 2.29% for the states compared to non-simultaneous elections.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve warned that One Nation, One Election could create a monopoly of one party. 'During Lok Sabha elections, at some places, voting continued till 2 am due several problems. This underlines that we do not have accurate and adequate machinery to hold simultaneous elections effectively,' said Danve in a memorandum to the JPC.
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