One Nation, One Election: JPC in Mumbai for deliberations

Hindustan Times

18-05-2025

MUMBAI: Barring political parties in the opposition, the ruling parties and the financial and banking sector supported the proposed 'One Nation, One Election' legislation, which seeks to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, to streamline the electoral process. This emerged during deliberations with the joint parliamentary committee (JPC), in Mumbai as part of its all-states visit, on Saturday.
The 42-member JPC met leaders from political parties, representatives of farmer organisations, leaders from the banking and financial sector, and the administrative heads of various state government departments. The panel will meet more stakeholders from various sectors, including pubic undertaking units and the film-making community on Monday.
PP Chaudhary, BJP MP and chairperson of the JPC, said the panel had asked state government departments, and even the financial sector, to submit comprehensive reports to illustrate the impact of separate elections held in the country in various sectors. He said simultaneous elections would help GDP grow by an additional 1.6% as it would save ₹4.50 lakh crore spent on holding multiple elections across the country. He also said if parliamentary, assembly and local body elections are held simultaneously, it would enhance voters' interest and result in a turnout that could reach 90%.
'During our meeting with the administrative heads of various state government departments, we asked them to submit reports based on case studies. The education department is expected to submit an illustrative study on the impact on students, teachers, teaching hours, among other things. Similarly, the banking and finance sector has been asked to consider various aspects including impact on staff operation, credit discipline, rural economy, among other things. This would help us arrive at a conclusion while submitting our report to parliament. 'One Nation, One Election' is a historic reformative step and we do not want to arrive at any conclusions in haste,' he said, addressing the media on Saturday.
Though the JPC had invited all former chief ministers, none of them turned up before the parliamentary panel, except Privthviraj Chavan. He claimed the concept would result in an imposition of elections on the state and against the constitutional structure of a federal system.
Chavan also said the concept would help the ruling party at the Centre gain an upper hand in elections, and it could misuse the electoral machinery. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab demanded that polling be done via ballot paper. Aam Admi Party's Preeti Menon and Samajwadi Party's Abu Asim Azmi opposed the concept of simultaneous polls.
Chaudhari said the panel has already met four former chief justices of India, Supreme Court judges and legal luminaries, and will be visiting all the states and Union territories. 'The first three Lok Sabha and assembly polls after Independence were held simultaneously, though the system collapsed after 1967 owing to the use of Article 356 of the Constitution (which relates to President's rule). The dissolution of state governments and no-confidence motions resulted in the collapse of state governments, necessitating multiple elections in the country. The new bill tabled in parliament has a provision for elections for the reminder period in case any assembly is dissolved before its term ends. This would help in holding simultaneous elections,' Chaudhari said.
NABARD chairperson, senior officials representing the State Bank of India and other centralised banks supported the One Nation, One Election concept. In its presentation, NABARD stated that 'a unified election cycle may reduce the incidence of politically motivated waivers, helping preserve credit culture and NABARD's refinance credibility.' Other banking officials stressed simultaneous elections, saying multiple elections affect policy continuity and stability, operational efficiency, fund utilisation, continuity in the operations, among other things.