Cabinet clears proposal of One Nation One Election (ONOE)

Posted 19 Sep 2024

2 min read

It has accepted recommendations of High-Level Committee on ONOE/Simultaneous Elections under chairmanship of former President Shri Ram Nath Kovind.

What is meant by ONOE?

It means holding elections to the House of the People, all the State Legislative Assemblies, and local bodies i.e., Municipalities and Panchayats, together.

Benefits of ONOE

Decreased government exchequer: Rs 60,000 crore was spent in 2019 LS elections.
Increase voter’s turnout: e.g. Frequent elections lead to ‘voters’ fatigue’
Stable policy and growth: Currently frequent imposition of the Model Code of Conduct causes policy paralysis affecting supply chains, business investments and economic growth.
Smooth delivery of services: Frequent use of government officials and security forces in elections adversely affect discharge of their duties.

key issues with the "One Nation, One Election" (ONOE) proposal. These include the marginalization of regional parties, reduced accountability of political leadership, concerns over federalism due to the frequent imposition of Article 356, and challenges to the principle of free and fair elections, as synchronized elections may blur the distinction between national and state issues for voters.

Roadmap Suggested by High Level Committee

Amendments to Constitution in two steps:-
- 1st:Simultaneous conduct of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections (no ratification of states required)
- 2nd:Synchronization of 1st step with local elections by conducting Municipalities and Panchayat elections within 100 days of general elections(requires ratification by not less than one-half of the states)
Dealing with Hung House/No-Confidence Motion: Fresh elections for constituting new House of People or State Legislative Assembly for unexpired term of the House of the People.
Common electoral roll for all the three tiers of Government.