With Assembly elections due in five states this year, followed by the Lok Sabha elections in May 2024, the government has formed a committee under former President Ram Nath Kovind to explore the possibility of holding all the elections simultaneously. Ever since the BJP came to power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been an ardent supporter of unifying the electoral cycles for the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies.


Five states — Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rajasthan — will go to the polls in November-December this year. The recent move by the government has thrown open the possibility of advancing the Lok Sabha polls and some state polls, and this has failed to find curry with the Opposition.


In 2018, the Law Commission of India had submitted a draft report explaining what the process would entail if all the polls were to be conducted simultaneously.


So, what exactly is 'One Nation, One Election'? Why is BJP pushing for simultaneous polls? What has the Law Commission said? We help decode the issue for you in this article.


What Is 'One Nation, One Election'?


Currently, elections to state assemblies and the Lok Sabha are conducted separately, occurring whenever the incumbent government's five-year term concludes.


In simple terms, 'one nation, one election' means conducting the elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies at the same time. However, elections to local bodies like panchayats, which is a state subject, will not be a part of it.


Under this proposed system, voters would cast their ballots to elect members of the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies on a single day, at the same time (or in a phased manner).


Under the current cycle, assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are held together with the general elections, while Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand assembly polls are held the same year but towards in the later months.


READ | 'One Nation, One Election BJP's Ploy To Hold Early Polls': Opposition On Ram Nath Kovind-Led Panel


Have Simultaneous Elections Been Held Previously?


Simultaneous elections are not new to India. In fact, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections were held simultaneously till 1967.


The first-ever general elections to the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies were conducted simultaneously in 1951-52, marking a significant chapter in India's electoral history.


This practice continued in the three subsequent Lok Sabha elections in 1957, 1962, and 1967.


The cycle was first broken in 1959 after the Centre invoked Article 356 of the Constitution to dismiss the then Kerala government headed by Communist Party leader EMS Namboodiripad. Fresh Kerala polls were then held in 1960.


However, post 1960, defections and counter-defections between parties had led to the dissolution of several assemblies. The Lok Sabha was also dissolved prematurely in 1970, and fresh elections were held in 1971. This eventually led to separate polls for Lok Sabha and state assemblies.


How Has The Issue Been Raked Up In The Past?


In 1983, the Election Commission, in its annual report, had suggested that a system should be in place so that elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies could be held simultaneously.


In 1999, the Law Commission headed by Justice BP Jeevan Reddy said: "We must go back to the situation where the elections to Lok Sabha and all the Legislative Assemblies are held at once."


Four years later, in 2003, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee spoke on the issue with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, but it failed to progress.


A Parliamentary Standing Committee report in 2015 also backed the idea. It was also supported by a NITI Aayog paper in 2017, which said periodic elections lead to "policy paralysis" due to imposition of the Model Code of Conduct and huge expenditures.


What Did The Law Commission Suggest In 2018 Draft Report?


In 2018, the Law Commission of India under Justice BS Chauhan said simultaneous elections cannot be held within the existing framework of the Constitution.


It suggested at least "five Constitutional recommendations" for holding simultaneous polls. The commission suggested that at least 50 per cent of the states should ratify the amendments.


The draft cited no-confidence motion and premature dissolution of the state assembly as major hurdles to simultaneous elections.


To circumvent such a situation, the commission said "no-confidence motion" should be replaced with a "constructive vote of no-confidence". In this scenario, the government may only be removed if there is confidence in an "alternate government", the panel said.


In case of mid-term elections, the commission suggested that the new Lok Sabha or state Assembly would only serve the "remainder of the previous term, and not the entire five years".


How Have Experts, Analysts Reacted?


Political analyst PKD Nambiar told ABP Live that the idea of "One Nation, One Poll" was not new and its implementation would be a great achievement for the economy, politics and social structure.


"India being such a large democracy with a huge population, having an election almost every day does hamper the growth of the country. Today's voters do know the difference between a CM and PM. We have so many examples in the past in Odisha, Delhi and many other states where people have voted very differently for the state and Centre," he told ABP Live.


"This will also reduce the economic burden on both governments and political parties and eventually will help to reduce corruption," Nambiar said.


Former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said the idea was definitely possible but the EC would require  additional funds and time to manufacture VVPATs and EVMs.


"The EC had told the government that to bring it back, some amendments will have to be made in the Constitution and Representation of People Act, 1951. All we need to do is follow a roadmap and all the political parties will have to be brought onboard," PTI quoted Rawat as saying.