Political Diary
New Delhi, 14 June
2022
One Nation, One Poll
NO PERPETUAL POLL SNYDROME
By Poonam I Kaushish
Phew! If the
heat-wave was not bad enough, elections really poop one out. Specially, in our
country which is afflicted by PES --- Great Indian Perpetual Election Syndrome.
Wasteful expenditure, noisy campaigns, rallies blocking roads disrupting our
lives. Sic. Resulting in governance not only going for a toss as Prime
Minister, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers campaign for their respective
Parties but it is wreaking havoc on our body politic --- right, left and
centre. Week after week, month after month, year after year. A year-long
merry-go-round.
Barely has the mara-mari for cushy Rajya Sabha biennial
elections for 16 seats across 6 States ended that Parties are gearing up for
the upcoming Presidential and Vice President polls July-August. While BJP has
deputed Party President Nadda and Defence Minister Singh to consult with NDA
allies and smaller Parties, Opposition is a dived lot with Trinamool’s Mamata
calling for a meeting with senior leaders to trump Congress’s Gandhi who has
written to NCP, RJD, NC, PDP etc to decide a common candidate against the NDA
nominee.
These are followed by
elections to Gujarat and Himachal Assembles in October-November and 9 States
next year. While Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura go to polls March, Karnataka May, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram
November, Rajasthan and Telangana December 2023. In 2024 besides Lok Sabha
polls in May there are four State Assemblies Andhra, Odisha, Arunachal and
Sikkim in April and Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand October. Delhi goes to
polls February 2025 followed by Bihar November/December.
Already, Gujaratis
Modi-Shah have visited their home State a few times lying foundation stones and
promising goodies. Ditto AAP’s Kejriwal with Punjab Chief Minister Mann in tow
showcasing their Delhi governance model and Punjab victory in Himachal with
promises galore.
Let’s face it. With
State after State going to polls every year, running Central and State Governments
has become challenging. Amidst this nerve-racking money spewing elections
vending machines the solution to India’s chronic PES may perhaps lie in the
panacea of holding one mega election every five years.
Undoubtedly, it is
one way to get rid of incompetence, malfeasance and casual governance. But it
is an idea that needs to be debated extensively at all levels. Its pros and
cons must be weighted before arriving at a final solution. Remember, the change
advocated would entail changing the basic structure of the Constitution.
Questionably, can one
hold simultaneous polls for Parliament, State Legislatures and Panchayats? If
so, would it be advisable in the best national interest? Given BJP backs
simultaneous polls, Congress, Left and Trinamool think it’s impractical,
unworkable, unfeasible and anti-democratic.
Those who concur argue
once a Party is elected and Government formed it can get down to work, take
hard decisions in public interest and concentrate on delivering good governance
without worrying about its impact on its
vote banks. As several good initiatives are dumped due to electoral
considerations lest it upset a caste, community, religion or region. All,
becoming victims of policy paralysis, mismanagement and poor implementation.
Another benefit of concurrent polls is it
would result in huge financial saving as over the years election costs have sky
rocketed. Statistics say it all: In 1952, the first national election for Lok
Sabha and Assemblies the cost was just over Rs 10 crores. In the subsequent two
elections 1957 and 1962 expenditure came down to almost Rs 6 and Rs 7.5 crores
respectively. Also, if an elected State Government were to fall, Centre could
impose President’s rule till fresh polls are held.
Pertinently, Prime
Minister Modi has repeatedly mooted this idea since 2016. Not only would it give netas and Party workers time to take people-oriented schemes to people
but also save the Exchequer and Parties money.
His idea was endorsed
by the Law Commission August 2018 as it would reduce burden on the
administrative machinery which could then focus on development activities
rather than electioneering and security forces. Two, where polls are slated for
Lok Sabha and State Assemblies the same year they could be advanced or postponed
and held together while others shortened or lengthened.
Recall, the 1952,
1957, 1962, 1967 elections saw concurrent elections for Centre and State
legislatures. It was only in 1971 when Indira Gandhi dissolved the Lok Sabha
and advanced polls by a year that this synchronization fell apart. Resulting in
many unstable Governments at Centre and States, leading to early dissolution of
Lok Sabha or Assemblies.
Moreover, expenditure saw an upward spiral.
It doubled to over Rs 23 crores in 1980, further doubled to Rs 54 crores in
1984 and Rs 154 crores in 1989. In 1991expenses shot up to Rs 359 crores, 1999 to
Rs 880 crores, 2004 Rs 1300 crores and 2014 Lok Sabha elections Rs 4500 crores,
though Centre for Media Studies averred it was over Rs 30,000 crores and a
staggering Rs 60,000 crores in 2019.
However, some believe
it is not advisable to hold simultaneous polls. Since it could be motivated by
political considerations, as when concurrent elections are held voters tend to
vote for the same Party. Also, poll issues at Centre and States are different which
would create confusion. A Party could be deserving of support at the Centre for
its policies and performance at the national level. Yet, the same Party could
be deserving of popular punishment and defeat for its policies and performance
at the State level.
Further, a fixed term
for Lok Sabha and State Legislatures goes against the basic tenets of
Parliamentary democracy. Hypothetically, if a Government enjoying the people’s
mandate is voted out, it would continue to hold office or be replaced by
another Government, which might not necessarily enjoy the popular mandate.
Plainly, a Government
which lacks the confidence of the House would be foisted on the people, with no
say in the matter. Smacking of de facto
dictatorship or monarchical anarchy, an idea which translates into
unrepresentative governance.
Not a few suggest one
could model polls on the lines followed in Sweden, South Africa and Belgium. In
Sweden, elections to county and municipal councils take place in tandem with
the country's general elections every four years. Ditto in South Africa where
concurrent polls are held every five years.
Belgium's Federal
Parliament elections are also held every five years, coinciding with the
European Parliament elections. A similar system is prevalent in Spain, Hungary,
Poland, Slovenia, Albania, Israel, Lesotho Philippines, Costa Rica, Bolivia,
Guatemala and Indonesia.
The US model could be
considered. The President and State Governors are elected directly for a fixed
four-year term and choose their own teams. The President is answerable to the
House of Representatives and Senate but is not required to seek their
confidence vote. This ensures good governance, stability and continuity
enabling him to take hard decisions without fear of losing power.
In sum elections are
the bedrock of our democracy but we should avoid duplication of polls. With
States in election mode every year, managing the Government is akin to running
with the hare and hunting with the hound. India’s democracy should not be
reduced to a tu-tu mein-mein between
Parties all the time. ---- INFA
(Copyright,
India News & Feature Alliance)
New Delhi
13 June 2022
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