On the 101th day in power, Modi 3.0 set in motion the plan to implement the Prime Minister’s pet issue – One Nation, One Election (ONOE). Prime Minister Narendra Modi led cabinet “unanimously” accepted the recommendations of the high-powered panel led by former president Ramnath Kovind which studied the contentious issue. For its implementation during this tenure, the Modi government will take the “consensus” route.
The cabinet’s decision showed that the government has not given up on its key electoral promise and also gave a message that its reduced numbers in the last Lok Sabha polls was not an impediment to pushing the core agenda. The big political message is that it is generating a debate in the country on the issue which may find resonance among the youth and sections of society which is convinced by the argument that regular elections are a drain on the exchequer and leads to frequent disruptions of policy implementation. The government would attempt to create a "positive" debate in its favour.
However, the Opposition was quick to attack the government. Congress president Malikarjun Kharge said, "the ONOE was against the federal spirit, constitution and democracy. The country will not accept it. It was an attempt to divert attention."
The One Nation, One Poll has two components: phase1 includes holding simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The second phase will include municipal and panchayat elections.
For the first phase, the move would need constitutional amendments where the bill must be passed by both Houses of the parliament. The constitutional amendments would need ratification by half of the States if the local bodies and panchayat polls were also to be held along with the general elections in the second phase.
The second phase is much more difficult for the government as the Opposition ruled states are against the proposal. Even the first phase where it would need passing by both the houses, the government would need some deft manoeuvring and political management as BJP does not have a majority on its own. It is dependent on its allies for support. Allies who are part of the government have expressed support for the move. However, even the first phase would need logistical support from the states as common electoral rolls have to be created.
The Kovind panel recommended the preparation of a single electoral roll and electoral photo identity cards (EPIC) for use in elections for all three tiers of government. For this, amendments in the Constitution will have to be made to enable the Election Commission of India to prepare a single electoral roll and EPIC. These amendments will require ratification by not less than one-half of the states. So, even for the first phase, separate ratification by half of the states will be needed. This is expected to be a deeply lengthy and tedious issue.
Currently, the BJP-led NDA is in power in 20 states including one union territory out of 31. Kovind panel had received representations from 47 parties out of which 15 including the Congress, the Left parties, and the TMC had opposed the simultaneous elections saying it was against the federal structure. The proposal received the support of 32 political parties including the BJP, BJD, JD(U), and the NCP. NDA currently has a majority in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, but the situation may change in the upper house if it suffers reversals in upcoming assembly elections.
The process to implement the decision however would be different from the earlier route adopted by the government. The buzzword is consensus. The government will initiate discussion across the country where academia, intellectuals, political parties and social groups would be roped in to create a favourable atmosphere. “We will be creating a consensus. We will go by consensus. More parties may join,” Ashwini Vaishnaw, Information and Broadcasting minister said.
Vaishnaw did not give a timeline on when the government would bring the legislation to the parliament but reiterated Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement: "We will bring this in the current tenure."
The government is taking the consensus route as it was forced to send another contentious issue – the Waqf Bill to the joint parliamentary committee at the insistence of other political parties including allies. The exercise to create a wider consensus and debate also marks a departure for the government as it has brought some legislation without consensus which then led to protests, particularly on the abrogation of Article 370 and Citizenship Amendments Bill.
Vaishnaw insisted that consensus was the key to the process of bringing the legislation in the parliament. “We had got a historic mandate. This will help in becoming a developed country by 2047. The simultaneous elections will remove impediments to developments. It is necessary for the progress of the nation. Youth has supported it.”
The minister said the government will also create an implementation group for the process.