A case for simultaneous polls

Today as it stands we have a season of polls all through. In 1971 after Ms Gandhi dissolved the Lok Sabha and went for early Lok Sabha polls, a disconnect has happened between the Lok Sabha polls and the state assembly polls which further got aggravated by the political instability in different states in 70s and 80s. So much so we have elections all the time. Between 2014 and 2019, we have elections in one part of the country or the others all through.

In 2014, after general elections we had elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. In2015, we had elections in one state and one union territory and in 2016 we had elections in about five states and UT in 2017 in seven states and 2018 elections are likely to be held in another eight states and union territories. Thus, only six states and five union territories go to polls along with the Lok Sabha polls and rest of the states and the union territories have elections during the intervening five-year period.

Till 1967, by and large there were simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha and state assemblies. After the 70s, ayaram and gayaram culture first at the state level and subsequently at the national level resulted in elections taking place more frequently with schedule for different states for elections getting spread out over a period of time. As per information collected from the Election Commission, the cost of conducting elections to the assemblies of states and union territories is around Rs 3,870 crore.

For those states which are going to elections along with the Lok Sabha polls, the cost of conducting elections comes to around Rs 900 crore, and for all other states going to polls in the intervening period the cost of holding the elections is going to be of the order of about Rs 2,970 crore. The way the election expenditure is shared between the state and the central government if the elections are held separately for the state assemblies, then, the entire cost has to be borne by the state government itself.

Ehen simultaneous elections are held, it is shared on 50-50 basis between the central government and the state government. It is always financially advantageous for the states to go for simultaneous polls since 50% of the cost is going to be borne by the Central government rather than go in for separate polls and bear the total expenditure.

But the case for simultaneous polls rests more on other grounds rather than financial. If separate polls are going to serve a great purpose, extra expenditure of Rs 2,870 crores some of the states may have to incur may not be that great an issue given the extent of fiscal profligacy we see in number of states and areas where a lot of savings could be achieved in these states.

The problem is going to be with the process of electioneering that’s going to be endless and all through the five-year period. As we have seen earlier, there are elections in one state or the other during the five-year period between 2014 to 2019. From the day election notification is given to the completion of polls, the period could be anywhere between a month to two-and-a-half months.

The national political executive will be on election campaigning all through this period. If we make a rough calculation of the time spent on electioneering in these five years taking into consideration also the states where elections are due shortly, it roughly comes to one-third of the total five-year period.

Further in these states, the total administrative machinery comes to a grinding halt twice once to hold the state elections and second time to hold the Lok Sabha elections. Whether it is worthwhile to have this type of disturbance to national political executive and disturb the administrative machinery twice for election purpose is the main issue which strengthens the argument in favour of simultaneous polls. Further when there are elections all through that prevents some much-required tough decisions being postponed to the detriment of the economy.

That leaves the main question of how to deal with the remaining period if there is a collapse of the government in a state between two five-year period necessitating elections and how best to synchronise the existing state legislature periods where elections are due at different time periods. President rule for the balance period to facilitate synchronising dates for simultaneous polls may not be the answer.

We may find an answer to this question in the 73rd and the 74th Constitutional Amendments dealing with panchayats and municipalities. Articles 343(E)(4) and 343(u)(4)dealing with panchayats and municipalities respectively provide for anybody elected in between two five-year period elections shall continue for the remainder of the period for which the dissolved body would have continued, had it not been dissolved.

Such an amendment to the Constitution would facilitate functioning of democratically elected institutions to function in between but facilitate synchronising the dates for simultaneous polls by limiting their period to coincide with each five-year period. This needs Constitutional Amendment which requires consensus across the broad-spectrum of political leadership which as on date is woefully missing even for well-meaning desirable outcomes.