Indian Express Editorial Summary

Editorial Topic : One Nation, One Election (ONOE) – Key Issues and Arguments

Revision Notes

Formation: Constituted in September 2023 to discuss simultaneous elections.
Composition concerns: The committee’s members, eight in total, were seen as pro-government or had expressed support for ONOE.
Mandate issues: The committee’s role was not to debate the merit of ONOE but to find ways to implement it, making it seem like a formality.
Federal system concerns: No regional party leader or chief minister was involved, despite ONOE’s serious implications for India’s federal structure.

Action needed: The committee has completed its task, and the Cabinet has approved the ONOE proposal.
Parliamentary approval: ONOE requires a special majority in Parliament and ratification by at least half of the state legislatures.
Opposition’s responsibility: It must leverage its stronger position after the general election to block the proposal.

Subservience to calendar: ONOE makes the people’s will subject to a fixed election calendar, undermining democratic flexibility.
Cost and convenience claims: Arguments about cost-cutting and administrative ease lack strong evidence or rigorous analysis.
Impact on governance: ONOE treats elections as disruptions to governance, rather than recognizing them as expressions of dynamic public will.
Constitutional issues: It contradicts India’s founding vision of a parliamentary and federal system, pushing towards a more presidential and unitary model.

Rejection of ONOE: Given India’s diversity, ONOE should be rejected to preserve the spirit of the country’s federal and parliamentary system.
Electoral sovereignty: Elections should be held when governments lose the people’s trust, reflecting constitutional guarantees without any imposed restrictions.
Democratic spirit: A fixed election calendar undermines the will of the people and parliamentary democracy.