One Nation, One Election: Transforming India's Democracy for Better Governance
One Nation One Election is one of the emerging topic in India which requires a
change in the structure of conducting elections within India.The main motive
behind this concept is to conduct a single election for the Lok Sabha, The
State Legislatures and The Panchayats in place of series of elections done
regularly over a period of time. The reason behind this concept of gaining
popularity is because many political leaders have put forward their views over
its application within India which includes Narendra Modi ( Prime Minister of
India ), Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee and also Ram Nath Kovind (
President of India ). A National seminar was held in Mumbai in January 2018 by Rashtriya Swayamsevak sangh-backed Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini to echo Modi's
call of "One Nation, One Election".
India witnesses about 5-7 elections at an average every year. Elections in
India for the Lok sabha, the state assemblies and the panchayats are held every
5 years. Elections in India are conducted and regulated by the Election
Commission of India whose head is a Chief Election Commissioner. The idea of
One Nation One Election is to reduce the cost and time spent on elections,
minimize election fatigue, and ensure better governance by allowing politicians
to focus on their work rather than constantly preparing for elections.
While
this concept has its benefits, such as reducing disruptions and improving voter
turnout, it also raises challenges, such as constitutional changes and the
complexity of managing elections across states. We are considering "One
Nation, One Election" because frequent elections cost too much money, disrupt
government work, and staff. It also creates political fights and tires out
voters, so having all elections together could solve these problems.
History
India got its independence from the British era on 15 August 1947. To prepare
the longest written constitution of the India across the world it took two
years. India became republic as the Constitution of India came into force on 26
January 1950. To run the country, a representative body is necessary to form
that will represent the will of the people and provide justice to them.
To form
the representative body, in India in the year 1952 general elections were
conducted for the first time. India being run by a three -tier government, the
elections were conducted for the Lok Sabha as well as the State Assemblies of
the respective states simultaneously.
India is not new to the concept of simultaneous elections. The elections were
conducted once and for all; the Lok Sabha and the State Legislatures. India
carried on the simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies
which carried forward for three consecutive general elections. This happening of
simultaneous elections can be seen in in the election held for the period of
1957, 1962 and 1967 barring the first general election.
Indian's First General Election
India's first general election, conducted in 1951-52, was a big moment for the
country. After being an Independent country from the slavery of Britain in 1947
and adopting a new Constitution in 1950, India was ready to choose its leader
through conducting voting system. The 53 political parties contested for 489
seats, there were about 1874 candidates from various parties, there were 401
constituencies and some had multiple seats.
Over 17 crore people were allowed to vote but most of them had never done it
before and could not read or write. To help, symbols like a cow or tree were
used on ballot papers to represent political parties.
The election took several months, from October 1951 to March 1952, because
India is so large and organizing it was difficult. Despite the challenges,
about 45 percent of people voted. The Indian National Congress (INC), led by
Jawaharlal Nehru.
He won the most seats and became Independent India's first
democratically elected prime minister. This election was a huge step for India,
showing that even in a country with so many different people and languages,
democracy could work. It gave everyone a chance to help and shape the future of
our country. While the leaders of our nation started working on rolling out
elections in July 1948, for holding the elections there were no laws.
The
drafting committee, under the leadership of Dr. B R Ambedkar, put various
efforts and a lot of hardwork for preparing the Constitution which was drafted
on 26 November 1949, but enacted on 26 January 1950. India on that day have the
rules, laws and acts for conducting the elections, and finally our country
became a republic country. India became the largest democracy in the world, with
a government 'by the people and for the people'.
System Of Elections In India
India is a socialist, secular, democratic, republic and the largest democracy
in the world. India is a constitutional democracy with a parliamentary system
of government, and at the heart of the system lies a commitment to hold regular, free and fair elections. India being a democratic country, the individuals
are not restricted to form political parties in the country. To form the
government the individuals have to choose their representatives from the
available amount of political parties.
India's electoral system is a complex
system that supports the country's vibrant democracy. Beneath it is universal
adult right, which ensures that all citizens over the age of 18 have the right
to vote, irrespective of caste, religion, sex, gender or race.
India holds elections at different levels, including National, State,and Local
levels. people vote directly to choose members of Parliament ( MPs, ) for the
National government and members of Legislative assemblies (MLAs) for State
government. The President is elected indirectly by an electoral college made up
of MPs and State representatives. Elections are organized and monitored by the
election commission of India (ECI) to ensure that they are fair and transparent,
allowing citizens to choose their leaders in a democracy. The election
commission gets the power to conduct all these from the Article 324 of Indian
Constitution.
According to Article 324 of Indian constitution, it provides the power of
superintendents, direction and control of elections to parliament, state
legislature, the office of President of India and the office of Vice President
of India shall be vested in the election commission. The election commission
gets the authority to control and manage elections, and make rules and decisions
related to election.
Conclusion
The main objective behind the idea "One Nation, One Election" is to hold all
elections at the same time instead of at different time. This can save money,time,and resources. It would also motivate the government to focus more on
working for the people rather then being busy with elections all the time.
This idea will make voting easier for people and help the country to have stable
policies, as governments will not be interrupted by frequent elections. But the
implementation of this idea is not simple as its need changes in Laws,
agreement from all political parties, and solutions for situations like when a
government falls before its terms ends. there are also concerns that it might
give too much power to the central government and affect the balance between
states and the voting booth.
If these issues are solved, "One Nation, One Election" could make elections
smoother and allow governments to work better for the people's future.
Law Article in India
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