‘One Nation One Election’: Draconian Move Towards a Fascist Unitary Regime – CPI (ML) Red Star
The High-Level Committee (HLC) constituted in September 2023 and headed by former President Ramnath Kovind for examining the issue of holding simultaneous elections, has submitted its Report on 14 March 2024. The Modi Cabinet that approved the suggestions of HLC on 12 December 2024 has decided to introduce the draft legislation for simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and Assemblies in the ongoing winter session of the parliament. Since a separate constitutional amendment that require the ratification of state assemblies is needed for simultaneous elections to Local bodies, it will be taken up separately.
After the formal adoption of India as a republic in 1950, during 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967, both Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections were held simultaneously. However, on account of the subsequent premature dissolution of Lok Sabha and Assemblies on many occasions, elections to them started at different times. Since then, recognising this concrete reality, no serious discussion had been there in the political mainstream on conducting simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assemblies. And in spite of all round decay and degeneration of ruling class politics, the period since 1960s also saw the emergence of many regional and state-level parties, often aspiring for states’ specific-issues both at the regional and state-level.
However, the rapid growth of RSS and its numerous affiliates in the post-Emergency neoliberal situation beginning with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement culminating in the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 altered the political discourse in the country. RSS’ pan-Indian majoritarian homogenizing drive with BJP as its political tool got a boost with the ascendancy of Vajpayee regime. Its initiation of the most regressive neoliberal indirect tax regime, first VAT and then GST, that took away the federal rights of states over taxation, laid down the economic basis for this unitary move. Integrally linked up with this and backed by the hard-work of leaders like Advani, who was the most ardent proponent of simultaneous elections, the Law Commission under Vajpayee regime, firmly imbibing the unitary agenda, had come forward with its proposal of simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assemblies in 1999 itself.
With the coming of Modi government in 2014, the idea of simultaneous elections got a big push when the NITI Aayog, that replaced more than six decade-old Planning Commission in August 2014. For, the NITI Aayog presided over by Modi in 2017 published a Working Paper one-sidedly highlighting a number of benefits of simultaneous elections such as reduction in election expenditure, increased voter turnout, improved governance, reduced disruption to public life, reduced frequency of elections and associated costs, etc. Its Paper cunningly kept silence on the harmful consequences such as advantages of the ruling party at centre, undermining of federalism and diversity of sub-continental India, etc.
The anti-federal clamour for simultaneous elections got a further push since Modi.2 onwards, and revealingly, though BJP lacks a majority-mark in parliament under Modi.3, the pan-Indian unitary drive is intensifying without any let up. Appointment of Kovind Committee in September 2023, it’s submitting of the Report in March 2024, Cabinet approval of it in December 2024 and its introduction to the winter session of Parliament, all in break-neck speed, are inseparable from the maddening Hindurashtra offensive by RSS-led Sangh Parivar. If not resisted and defeated, it will be disastrous for the country and its many diversities of sub-continental proportions. And, the ‘one nation one election’ agenda will subvert state issues in the guise of national issues.
Simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assemblies at this juncture, by sidelining and overshadowing specific issues confronting different linguistic and ethnic communities, disproportionately benefit All India parties, especially the ruling party at the centre, and will dilute the relevance and influence of state-level political forces. If implemented, it will be detrimental to the federal structure of Indian state. The logistical issues connected with the availability of EVMs in elections in India, world’s most populous country, are yet to be discussed. According to preliminary reports, for simultaneous elections, the Election Commission has to more than double the number of EVMs, which itself, if successful, will take a time-span of minimum three years. Since Indian manufacturers may not have the capacity to double output of machines even after scaling up, foreign companies may enter to fill the gap, especially regarding procurement of chips and other crucial materials, with unforeseen consequences in conducting elections.
To be precise, coming to the core issue, the idea ‘one nation one election’ is an outright superimposition of a unitary and anti-federal agenda in tune with similar moves like one language, one culture, one police, and so on. It is a draconian, fascist drive over multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and federal India. We appeal to all democratic, secular and anti-fascist forces and all well-meaning people to unitedly come forward challenging and defeating this fascist move
P J James
General Secretary
CPI (ML) Red Star
New Delhi
14.12.2024
