The concept of concurrent elections becomes impractical when considering its impact on existing Legislative Assemblies and the three-tier governance system.
The central government has formed a committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind to explore the feasibility of holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, Legislative Assemblies, municipalities, and panchayats. This idea has been under discussion for the past five years and is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s manifesto.
The next Lok Sabha election is scheduled to take place before June 16, 2024. If the idea of simultaneous elections is approved and implemented, it would shorten the terms of all Legislative Assemblies except those in four states: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim. The election schedules in these four states have naturally aligned with Lok Sabha elections over time. Should simultaneous elections occur in 2029, similar adjustments to Assembly terms would be necessary.
The table illustrates the conclusion dates of each state’s Assembly terms and the number of months they would lose if simultaneous elections were held in June 2024.
As depicted in the table, 17 states would experience a reduction in their Assembly terms of nearly a year and a half, with Karnataka, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat facing reductions of approximately three and a half years or more.
The government has argued that simultaneous elections would be a cost-saving measure. A 2018 report by the Law Commission suggested that the expenses for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in any state are largely equivalent. The report contended that holding elections together would cut costs by half. However, reports of this nature view election expenditure as “wasteful,” disregarding the multiplier effect and the economic impact of elections on sectors such as transportation, printing, media, and infrastructure.
Many such reports also fail to consider the implications of simultaneous elections on the distinct characteristics of India’s legislative and governance tiers. Collectively, India elects 543 Lok Sabha members, over 4,100 Assembly legislators, representatives for 89,194 urban wards, and nearly 31.89 lakh elected panchayat representatives spanning three levels of the Panchayat system: village panchayats, panchayat unions, and district panchayats. Each of these tiers has its own unique roles and responsibilities. The sheer number of representatives across these three tiers underscores the significance of each level and the necessity for representation to address voters’ specific needs.
For instance, if a voter is concerned about local waste management, they would choose a candidate in their ward who is best suited to address the issue. On the other hand, Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) represent larger constituencies and are elected to legislate on matters related to the Union government and the state, respectively.
Beyond truncating the terms of Assemblies prematurely, holding simultaneous elections could potentially lead to the amalgamation of issues related to these three tiers under a single mandate for voters. This would undermine the principles of federalism and the fundamental structure of three-tier governance. The committee must thoroughly examine the federal aspects of Indian democracy before contemplating simultaneous elections.
