NAVEENA GHANATE
Hyderabad
Telangana is looking at the possibility of how to tackle a mini-simultaneous election with the Centre reportedly seeking legal opinion on conducting simultaneous elections in 15 states.
The Modi government wants to hold a mini-one-nation-one-election by advancing or postponing Assembly elections that are scheduled in some states.
Sources indicated that the Centre is looking at issuing an ordinance or introducing an ordinary Bill in the monsoon session as it doesn’t have a majority in the Rajya Sabha.
By November, the terms of the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assemblies will end. The term of the Mizoram Assembly ends in December and that of the Rajasthan and Telangana Assemblies and that of the Lok Sabha ends in May 2024. The terms of the Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim Assemblies will end in October 2024 and that of the Haryana and Maharashtra Assemblies in November. Jharkhand, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir elections are due in January 2025.
Sources hinted that discussions started after the BJP government realised that they would be losing some seats in the north which they want to make up in the south.
The last Telangana elections are an example of what can happen if simultaneous elections are held. After winning 80 seats in the Assembly polls the BRS lost about half the seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Sources indicated that this would help the BJP gain ground in the South particularly with nationalism becoming the agenda.
Simultaneous polls will also help the Election Commission to save on manpower and expenditure. Sources said that if the BJP succeeds in executing this plan, then it won’t really be an issue in the five states including TS which have Assembly elections before the Lok Sabha polls. However, for states like Andhra Pradesh and others, the polls will have to be advanced. For Telangana, the poll may be postponed by two months.
Sources said that if such an ordinance is brought it will be challenged in court and by then the process will start and they may have to maintain the status quo. Consequently, the Telangana government is examining if local issues will take a backseat if simultaneous elections are held as people prefer national parties during LS elections.
But sources indicated that now as the BRS is also a national party, people may think in that direction and will also consider the new entrant while voting in LS polls.
It may be mentioned here that the BJP-led Central Government has always supported the idea of a One–Nation–One–Election.
The Law Commission has also made similar recommendations and the Election Commission has already announced that it is ready to conduct simultaneous elections but the Constitution has to be amended for this.
The Centre is likely to argue that they want hold simultaneous polls to save money.
The Election Commission has already commenced work on the Assembly election process in five states including Telangana. Orders have also been issued regarding transfers and postings of officers. On Thursday a gazette was published appointing Returning Officers.
Sources said that although there is no clarity on holding the mini-simultaneous polls, the Telangana government has nothing to lose due to that as its term will be over by then.
