Rejecting the concept of One Nation One Election, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told a high-level committee being led by former President Ram Nath Kovind that the proposal to hold simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and all State legislatures goes against the basic structure of the Constitution and cannot exist in a parliamentary system.
In a January 17 letter to the panel’s secretary Niten Chandra, Mr. Kharge said that the idea should be abandoned for the sake of a “robust democracy” and urged that the “persona and office of the former President should not be allowed to be abused by the Union Government”.
“It is distressing when even common voters feel the consultations of the committee are likely to be a pretence since minds have already been made up,” he added.
“The Indian National Congress is strongly opposed to the very idea of One Nation, One Election. For the sake of maintaining a thriving and a robust democracy, it is imperative that the entire idea must be abandoned and the High Power Committee dissolved,” Mr. Kharge said.
Explained | What is the debate around ‘one nation, one election’?
Poll costs vs political funding
The Congress chief expressed his amusement that the panel was highlighting the Election Commission of India‘s (ECI) statement that simultaneous polls would help save money.
“The ECI had estimated the cost of conducting the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with VVPAT machines to be about ₹3,870 crore… In contrast, the ruling party at the Centre has received donations of ₹10,122 crore during 2016-2022, out of which ₹5,271.97 crores is through anonymous Electoral Bonds,” Mr. Kharge said, arguing that instead of simultaneous polls, there should be a greater emphasis on the transparency of funding.
Simultaneous poll problems
The Congress chief outlined a basic problem with the idea of simultaneous polls. “Suppose simultaneous elections are held in 2024, and suppose the Central government is defeated in February 2025 and the Prime Minister calls for fresh elections. Or suppose, on a major policy issue, the PM decides to seek a fresh mandate. Will all the State Assemblies be also dissolved and ‘simultaneous’ elections held throughout the country?” he asked.
Without naming the BJP, Mr. Kharge said: “The only instances where the Chief Ministers have lost the confidence of the House have been when one particular party has abused the government machinery at its disposal and subverted the anti-defection law to steal people’s mandate”.
