The world’s largest democracy is pretty much always in election mode. There’s an election every three months happening somewhere in India. The EC has described the exercise as “a celebration of democracy.” But in India they are more than that.
At some level, elections are a display of the sheer scale and might of the nation. Twenty-eight states, eight Union Territories, close to a billion voters and this does not even include the local and civic body polls yet.
Last week, as the Indian law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill “One Nation One Election” in the Parliament, it sparked a debate, divisive opinions and political uproar questioning whether such a thing would be infrastructurally possible in India.
A look at the 2024 Lok Sabha elections
Those opposed to the idea do not have to look very far behind and cite the 2024 Lok Sabha elections conducted earlier in the year. The 2024 general elections have been the second lengthiest ever.
The electoral process spanned a total of 82 days and Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar while justifying the election lasting seven phases and over two and a half months said, “Look at the geography of the country… then there are festivals, examinations, other such holidays to consider…think of security forces’ movements.”
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw approximately 968 million eligible voters exercise their democratic rights, thus necessitating the need to mobilise manpower, security forces, and infrastructure.
Not possible, warn critics
The bills propose the simultaneous election process to begin in 2029, with the first synced election in 2034. The members of the ruling BJP have rooted in favour of the bill citing election expenses as the key reason.
Former President Ram Nath Kovind, who led a nine-member committee on the matter, called the bill a “game changer” while citing economists who opine that it could boost India’s GDP by up to 1.5%. Other supporters of the bill claim that simultaneous elections would not just slash campaign costs, but streamline governance and administration.
Can the election expenses be reduced?
In its 18,626-page report, the committee led by Kovind has also recommended that local body elections be held within 100 days of the state and general elections. A complete switch from the current system where elections are spread out over a period of five years
While election expenses have been cited as one of the key reasons, those opposed to the Bill express reservations about expenses being contained, with former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi in fact raising concerns about the high costs.
The operational costs of elections are not just unavoidable but will see an uptick if the polls are synced. The first general election had 1,874 candidates from 53 parties in the poll fray and 1,96,000 polling booths.
In 2019, this figure saw an almost vertical surge, with 8054 candidates from 673 political parties requiring 1.037 million polling booths. Moving on, in 2024, 8360 candidates contested from 744 different political parties. The upsurge is parallel to the increased number of eligible voters, contestants, polling booths, and the deployed staff.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has called the idea “not practical” and questioned if simultaneous elections could not be held in the state of Maharashtra, J&K and Haryana how could they be extended to the entire nation. Those opposed to the bill say that it could undermine India’s federal structure by concentrating power in the centre, would negatively impact smaller political parties and democratic diversity.
According to Delhi-based NGO Centre for Media Studies, India spent more than 600bn rupees on 2019 general elections. This amount has seen a steady rise over the years. As per a few estimates, India spent close to Rs 100,000 crores in 2024 elections.
Some publications in India have pegged this figure at Rs 1.35 lakh crore. According to government data, the EC’s budget has increased from Rs 236.6 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 340 crore in 2023-2024.
According to government data, the EC's budget has increased from Rs 236.6 crore in 2018-2019 to Rs 340 crore in 2023-2024.
EVM’s are another reason, critics argue, that reducing election costs could backfire. Simultaneous elections with 900 million eligible voters means ensuring enough EVM’s security forces, election officials are available and planned meticulously.
As per a 2015 parliamentary committee report by the law and justice department, if simultaneous elections are held then a total of Rs 92.84 billion would be required to procure new VVPAT machines.
While 263 members voted in favour of the bills, as many as 198 voted against it.
In the meanwhile, the Lok Sabha on Friday approved a 39-member joint parliamentary committee to examine the two bills that aim to introduce simultaneous state and national elections. The panel is scheduled to submit its report by the first day of the last week of the 2025 budget session.
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