The one nation one poll slogan is nothing but attempt to homogenise the diversity of the country and win elections through a ‘national narrative’ which has made the current dispensation successful. India is huge, a continent and if we see the preparedness of the Election Commission, then we can say, the first thing Narendra Modi and his advisers can do us and save the democracy is to ask the Election Commission to organise the poll on june one day and declare the results with in next four days.
Elections on one day in the entire country will save us from many things. The first one the intense speculations based on Exit Polls which the dalals in the market make crores of rupees with their predictions. The last general elections saw the election campaign starting from March 10th, and finally culminating on May 19th with the last phase. The results were counted on 23rd. Such a long phase of election campaign gives rise to numerous rumours and speculations which create doubts about the impartiality of the Electoral process as well as working of the Election Commission of India.
So, if Narendra Modi want it, please have elections nation wide in one day and the results with in the five days. The gap is being given for repolls if required and bringing the EVMs to counting centers.
The second one nation one poll should be the state funding of the elections. Ban on opinion polls and political advertisements well before two month of the polls.
Third, the state assemblies have different terms and it will always happen. Simultaneous polls happened in the early 1950s but subsequently the terms of various state assemblies changed because of fall of government, president rule and so many other things. It will happen again. you can not keep state assemblies in abeyance to wait for a national election. This is absolutely problematic.
There is a big difference between the national issues and local state level issues. Both can not remain the same. We do understand that PM want to reduce the expenses. The fact is that his party spend huge sum of money during the elections. All the opposition parties did not even spend 50% the amount collectively, that BJP did alone. So, a party with huge money coming into its coffer will never want a level playing field. It is deliberately doing things to keep its hegemony in the power for ever.
If democracy has to strengthen, we must ensure that no person get more than two terms as prime minister like the US Presidential system where nobody can become president for more than two terms. It will strengthen the democratisation process. Similarly, political parties too must allow the internal democratisation process so that they dont become enclaves of various political families.
One nation one poll is an absolutely impractical idea. Can we have all elections including Panchayats, urban local bodies, Zila Parishads etc along with assemblies and parliament ?
The idea that Narendra Modi is speaking is nothing new. Every power person want that but it is impractical and the situation may rise again. State assemblies may go to polls differently because of the term of state governments. And once you fix the term of them, it might be possible the same thing happen again, so you wont get anything out of it. BJP might want it because it is on the peak at the moment and with every institution in its pocket, it want to capture the entire country eliminating opposition but it would be highly detrimental for the country.
And look at the irony of organising polls simultaneously nation wide. Mr Amit Shah and Ms Smriti Irani resigned from their Rajya Sabha seats of Gujarat on two different dates. The election Commission in unprecedented order, is holding polls for two Rajya Sabha Seats in Gujarat on two different dates just as it would then give BJP both the seats. How has the poll body allowed itself to degrade to become the puppet of the ruling dispensation. The party which talks of one nation one poll is unable to hold two Rajya Sabha seats elections from Gujarat on one date. What a hypocrisy ?
