Relevance: GS Paper II
Why has this issue cropped up?
Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat has aired his view that it is not possible to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies.
Views in favor of simultaneous polls
- The country is perpetually in election mode, resulting in a lack of adequate focus on governance.
- The second contention is that scattered polling results in extra expenditure.
Hurdles in holding simultaneous elections
- Requirement of amendment to the Constitution under which the extension or curtailment of the term of any Assembly is constitutionally permissible.
- Simultaneous elections would demand a massive increase in the number of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units.
- A wide political consensus, as well as legislative cooperation from various parties at the Center and in the States, is required for holding simultaneous elections.
- It is natural that parties that control legislatures constituted in recent months or years would resist any curtailment of their tenures, while those in the Opposition may prefer simultaneous polls if it means Assembly elections being advanced.
- Can legislature terms be curtailed without undermining representative democracy and federalism?
Conclusion
Given the procedural and logistical challenges that holding of simultaneous elections pose, it would be far more productive for political parties to focus on basic electoral reforms and find ways to curb excessive election expenditure.
