New Delhi : The Parliamentary committee examining the One Nation, One Election (ONOE) Bill convened on October 5 to hear opinions from eminent economists and senior media representatives. Chairman PP Choudhary stated that the legislation, which proposes simultaneous polling, serves the national interest.
According to sources, the economists generally supported the ONOE Bill. Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran emphasised that frequent elections shift fiscal spending towards revenue expenditure instead of capital expenditure. Some economists described a “policy paralysis” stemming from repeated elections, asserting that the ONOE framework would enable legislators to concentrate on governance rather than continuous campaigning.
S Gurumurthy, Chairman of the Vivekananda International Foundation, stated that frequent elections undermine the federal structure, while ONOE would reinforce it. He noted that continuous elections cause administrative strain, engage national leaders in constant campaigning, and exhaust the opposition’s resources. Gurumurthy added that recurrent polls tend to replace voluntary party cadres with paid workers and encourage vote-buying. He also cited international research indicating that democracies face disruptions during elections and that the electoral process should not be conducted annually.
Media representatives expressed divided views on ONOE but indicated a need to reconsider the powers allocated to the Election Commission of India under the bill. A senior journalist highlighted pressing issues to be addressed before implementation, including the culture of pre-election freebies. Two prominent journalists expressed reservations, suggesting that Indian democracy benefits from frequent elections, which provide regular accountability of government representatives.
Another senior journalist argued that simultaneous elections could clarify distinctions between state and national issues, enabling the government to focus on governance and the media to more effectively present public concerns.
Choudhary added that the panel will continue consultations with other stakeholders. He said, “If the One Nation, One Election concept is implemented—where Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections are held simultaneously once every five years, with exceptions made only in the rarest of cases (such as no-confidence motions or by-elections)—I believe every Member of Parliament and MLA would be able to focus entirely on the proceedings of their respective legislative bodies.”
He concluded, “Therefore, I am of the view that Prime Minister Modi’s vision of One Nation, One Election is in the national interest. Having listened to various people, we truly realised the importance of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ concept—specifically, holding Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections simultaneously.”
