Discussions surrounding India’s proposed “One Nation, One Election” (ONOE) framework have elicited diverse viewpoints from prominent figures. Veteran policymaker Montek Singh Ahluwalia, addressing the Joint Parliamentary Committee on ONOE, cautioned against prioritizing cost savings as the sole or central rationale for adopting simultaneous elections. He further suggested that such a system could potentially relegate state-level issues to the background, with national themes potentially dominating electoral discourse.
In contrast, economist Surjit Bhalla expressed strong endorsement for the ONOE framework. Bhalla characterized the existing system of staggered state polls as a costly “luxury” that he argued India could no longer sustain. He also put forth a proposal for state elections to be conducted midway through the Lok Sabha’s tenure, aiming to balance accountability with a reduced frequency of electoral cycles.
Source: www.news18.com