Key recommendations in ‘One Nation One Election’ report ‘flawed’: Ex-CEC Quraishi

PTI, Sep 20, 2024, 7:26 PM IST

SY Quraishi (credit: IANS / File)

New Delhi: With the government setting the ball rolling for simultaneous polls, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi has flagged concerns over the practicality and implications of the proposed move, saying some key recommendations are “flawed” as he emphasised the need for a debate in Parliament on these issues.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of a high-level committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind for holding simultaneous polls for Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner after a countrywide consensus-building exercise.

The move has sparked a national debate with opposition parties calling it impractical and a “cheap stunt” by the ruling BJP.

The report on “One Nation One Election” claimed that more than 80 per cent of the 21,558 responses received supported the proposal.

Quraishi termed several key recommendations in the report “flawed”.

He pointed out that the simultaneous elections would exclude Panchayat elections, which represent a substantial number of local elected officials.

“The entire country is being shaken up for simultaneous elections while ignoring over 30 lakh elected representatives at the local level,” he told PTI Videos.

The report suggested that Panchayat elections will take place separately within a 100-day timeframe, a move that the former CEC said contradicts the very essence of simultaneous elections.

“Conducting separate elections just months apart will create significant logistical challenges and voter fatigue,” he warned.

The Election Commission has indicated that it would require three times the current number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) to facilitate simultaneous elections.

This translates to a need for approximately 40 lakh additional machines, posing significant financial and logistical hurdles, Quraishi said.

“And one thing which is in favour of simultaneous elections is that for all three tiers, the voter is the same, the polling booth is the same, the people who conduct the election are same… Now the Election Commission has flagged a logistical problem that they will require three times the number of EVMs and the VVPATs. So just calculate, thousands of crores of rupees will be required,” he highlighted.

In light of these challenges, Quraishi emphasised the importance of a debate in Parliament, urging lawmakers to address these practical issues.

“The villagers care more about local governance than national policies. If they cannot vote due to logistical issues, their voices will be silenced.”

The former CEC also highlighted constitutional requirements for implementing the proposal. Any amendment would require a majority vote in both Houses of Parliament, alongside ratification from at least half of the states, a process that could prove complex and contentious.

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday asserted that parties across the political spectrum have actually supported the ‘One Nation One Election’ initiative.

“This is a subject, a topic that will strengthen democracy, Centre-state relations, make sure that the nation will grow at a faster pace, and will remove impediments which come in the way of the growth of our country,” he added.