‘One nation, one election’ will test the limits of our democracy

One nation, one election comes with promises of preventing expenditure and saving resources, but what will happen if Lok Sabha or a state assembly is dissolved midterm?

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'ONE nation, one election' (ONOE) is often cited as a method of reducing electoral costs.

But a holistic evaluation of any democratic institution or any change in it requires its examination with respect to the impact on other democratic institutions as well as on democracy as a whole.

In brief, consideration ought to be given to whether ONOE would have a favourable impact on our democratic republican polity or otherwise.

Besides, in this instance, the very rationale of ONOE as an effective instrument of reducing costs in the conduct of elections should be scrutinised.

So, how desirable, in totality, is ONOE for our democratic republican polity?

What goals does it seek to achieve?

ONOE is being touted as a way to significantly reduce electoral expenses as separate elections for Lok Sabha and different state assemblies incur repeated expenditure.

According to the Centre for Media Studies, the 2019 Lok Sabha elections cost ₹55,000 crore (US $8 billion approximately), making them the costliest elections in the world. Indeed, the costs need to be brought down and the resources need to be diverted to more productive sectors of the economy.