'One Nation, One Election' Will Promote Buying & Selling Of Politicians: AAP Writes To Kovind-Led Panel

The AAP has stated that the principles of the constitution and democracy must not be surrendered for short-term financial advantages or administrative ease.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stands against the concept of 'one nation, one election' (ONOE), claiming that simultaneous polls will harm the concept of parliamentary democracy by making it impossible to deal with hung legislatures and actively encouraging the evils of anti-defection and open buying and selling of MLAs and MPs, news agency ANI reported.

In a letter to Niten Chandra, Secretary of High-Level Committee- One Nation, One Election on January 18, AAP National Secretary Pankaj Gupta stated that the adoption of the ONOE gives the party ruling at the Union level an unfair advantage over regional parties and other parties competing with the centre-ruling party in the states.

"Aam Aadmi Party strongly opposes the idea of 'One Nation, One Election'. 'One Nation, One Election' will damage the idea of parliamentary democracy, the basic structure of the Constitution and the federal polity of the country. 'One Nation, One Election' is unable to deal with hung legislatures and will actively encourage the evil of anti-defection and open buying and selling of MLAs and MPs," the AAP Secretary was quoted by ANI in its report. 

The AAP has also stated that the principles of the constitution and democracy must not be surrendered for short-term financial advantages or administrative ease.

"The cost sought to be saved by simultaneous polls is a mere 0.1 per cent of the Government of India's annual budget," the AAP added.

AAP Secretary also stated that holding polls concurrently will have a negative influence on the Indian multi-party system, in which various parties have developed to express the opinions of individuals who were previously sidelined in mainstream politics.

"The Aam Aadmi Party believes that ONOE poses a threat to the national agenda and, in turn, the party ruling at the Union level gains an unfair advantage over regional parties and other parties contesting the centre-ruling party in the states. It will detrimentally impact the Indian multi-party system, where several parties have stemmed to represent the voices of those who were erstwhile marginalised in mainstream politics," he stated. 

He further stated: "While notable exceptions exist, evidence suggests that a very large number of voters tend to vote for the same party when elections to both the state Assembly and the Lok Sabha are held simultaneously or within a gap of six months."

The letter further reads: "Voters tend to vote for the same party in the Assembly election for which they had voted during the Lok Sabha election. This creates an unfair advantage for the national parties. While dominant regional parties will also benefit from this pattern, smaller regional parties will bear the brunt."

Earlier last year, the Central government formed a high-level committee, led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, to investigate the notion of simultaneous polls in our nation.Last year, the government also wrote to six national parties and 33 state parties, asking for their recommendations on holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state legislatures, and local authorities. Former President Ram Nath Kovind chaired the High-Level Committee on 'One Nation, One Election', which held consultations.

As part of this consultation process, the Ministry of Law and Justice seeks proposals and weighed opinions from individuals, political parties, distinguished jurists such as past Chief Justices of the Supreme Court and High Courts, constitutional experts, and previous CECs, among others.

As part of this consultation, on January 17, the Chairman of the HLC met with Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, former Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, in New Delhi.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, has also expressed opposition to the notion, stating that the concept of simultaneous elections has no place in a parliamentary form of government while discussing the One Nation, One Election initiative.

Kharge stated that simultaneous elections violate the Constitution's protections of federalism as well as its core framework.

"On behalf of the Congress party and the people of the country, I humbly request the Chairman of the High-Level Committee not to allow his persona and the office of former President of India to be abused by the Union Government to subvert the constitution and parliamentary democracy in this country," he stated in his letter.