International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

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Call for Paper Volume 7, Issue 2 (March-April 2025) Submit your research before last 3 days of April to publish your research paper in the issue of March-April.

Harmonizing Federalism: Perspective on the simultaneous Election

Author(s) Sankhyavi Singh
Country India
Abstract India is following federal structure dividing powers into state government and central government . While the central government is elected every 5 years, elections to state assemblies are held at different times based on completion of their tenures. This leads to
frequent elections almost every year in some state or the other which hampers governance due to enforcement of the model code of conduct. So, the idea of holding simultaneous elections
for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, commonly referred to as ‘One Nation One Election’, has gained traction in recent years. Proponents argue that the current system of frequent
elections is expensive and disruptive. This paper examines the rationale behind One Nation One Election and analyzes its potential consequences on India’s federal structure.
The paper critically evaluates the expected benefits like reduced costs and administrative distractions. However, holding synchronous elections raises concerns about compromising the
federal structure. State issues may get subsumed under national issues during simultaneous elections. Regional parties could lose their relevance. The paper analyzes how national parties
may gain greater control over state politics if assembly polls are tied to Lok Sabha polls. There are also practical difficulties in implementing simultaneous elections such as what will happen
in case of mid term dissolution of state assembly. Federalism allows states to chart their own socio economic agendas an advantage that could be undermined.
The paper aims to further discuss the scholarly discourse on synchronized elections in India by pointing out its merits as well as the potential pitfalls from the viewpoint of federalism and
democracy. The analysis is intended to inform this important policy debate by highlighting the
need for nuance and caution.
Keywords Constitution Constitution, Federalism, One nation One election, Simultaneous elections, synchronous,
Field Sociology > Politics
Published In Volume 7, Issue 1, January-February 2025
Published On 2025-02-28
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i01.37861
Short DOI https://doi.org/g86w6g

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