One Nation One Election: JPC Probes Massive Fiscal Waste and Governance Toll
The JPC examines the Constitution Amendment Bill to synchronise elections, citing massive fiscal waste and governance hurdles.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) convened on Friday to delve into the potential long-term socio-economic impacts of synchronising national, state, and union territory elections. The committee is currently reviewing the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, engaging with domain experts to determine if a shift toward "One Nation, One Election" could remedy systemic inefficiencies in India's current democratic process.
The High Cost of Staggered Polls
During the depositions, experts argued that India's current cycle of staggered elections leads to an immense drain on the national exchequer. S Mahendra Dev, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, highlighted that the financial burden extends far beyond the direct costs of conducting polls.
To illustrate this, Dev cited Election Commission of India (ECI) data from five major jurisdictions. He revealed that holding standalone Assembly elections immediately following the 2014 Lok Sabha polls cost Rs 811.1 crore. This figure is nearly identical to the Rs 838.7 crore spent on the Lok Sabha elections in those same areas, representing a staggering duplication of expenditure of approximately 96.7 per cent.
Administrative and Security Strain
The JPC discussed how the current system ties up the country's administrative and security apparatus in a perpetual state of election mode. The proposed synchronisation is expected to bring significant relief in several areas:
- Manpower Savings: A synchronised cycle could reduce the requirement for polling staff by 28 per cent, saving an estimated 1.04 crore public sector person-days over a five-year period.
- Security Focus: The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and State Armed Police would be freed from the grueling and constant cycle of deployment schedules, allowing them to focus on their primary internal security duties.
- Economic Productivity: Under Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, statutory paid voting holidays are granted. Synchronisation would merge these into a single event, eliminating the need for enterprises to provide two separate paid non-working days.
Policy Distortions and Governance Hurdles
Beyond the financial and logistical costs, the committee examined how frequent elections distort public policy. S Mahendra Dev pointed to empirical studies suggesting that state administrations often engage in populist measures to sway voters just before elections. These include:
- Cutting discretionary commodity tax receipts.
- Diverting electricity supplies.
- Issuing farm debt waivers to attract key voting blocs.
Furthermore, the JPC noted a troubling trend regarding infrastructure. Projects initiated in the lead-up to elections often suffer a marked drop in completion rates if the incumbent administration is replaced, leading to wasted resources and stalled development.
The depositions before the JPC contended that the current campaign culture is detrimental to good governance and the overall health of democracy, discouraging private corporate investment and fostering an environment of instability.