When and how will "One Nation, One Election" become a reality?

New Delhi: With the Union Cabinet approving the recommendations by the Ram Nath Kovind-led high-level panel for holding "One Nation, One Election" (ONOE), discussions have shifted towards the timeline for implementation and consensus building

ONOE proposes holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies in a phased manner.

This plan, once thought to be delayed following the BJP's less-than-adequate performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election results, has been thrust back into the spotlight this week, with the saffron party expressing confidence in its ability to manage constitutional amendments.

In the first 100 days of Modi’s third term, the government hinted several times that simultaneous polls could soon become a reality.

A day before the Cabinet's decision, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that everything in BJP's manifesto, including One Nation, One Election, would be implemented during this tenure of the Modi government.

"An important factor in implementing One Nation, One Election is the decision to conduct a census," explained senior journalist and political analyst Shekhar Iyer.

He further added, "RSS and BJP eventually agreed to include a column for caste data in the census, which was also mentioned at a recent meeting in Palghar."

However, RSS leaders specifically stated that the caste census will be conducted solely for societal welfare, with assurances that the data will not be used for political purposes.

Timeline for implementing One Nation, One Election

The census is expected to begin in January 2025 and be completed by December 2025. A gazette notification to this effect is likely to be issued soon.

Then, the delimitation exercise will start in January 2026, which will take at least another three to four months before the assembly elections in states like West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

This will also serve as a base for implementing the Women's Reservation.

Following the assembly elections in 2026, the government is targeting 2029 to implement One Nation, One Election.

The outlined timeline by the BJP suggests a serious intent toward synchronizing Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.

Challenges

Implementing ONOE will require significant adjustments, such as advancing some assembly elections while delaying others.

This year, Lok Sabha elections occurred in April-May-June, alongside state elections in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Currently, assembly elections are underway in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Haryana, with Maharashtra and Jharkhand scheduled for later in the year.

In 2025, Delhi and Bihar are slated for elections.

In 2026, terms for assemblies in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry will end.

Goa, Gujarat, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will finish their assembly terms in 2027.

By 2028, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, and Telangana will be preparing for new elections.

The current Lok Sabha and state assemblies that had elections this year will have their terms end in 2029.

In a Cabinet briefing, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned that the government aims to ignite a public debate on the importance and necessity of One Nation, One Election, aiming to foster a consensus.

"The public sentiment is supreme in democracy, and once they form an opinion, ONOE will become a reality, just like the caste census," quipped Iyer.

On the contentious issue of adjusting terms of state assemblies, Iyer emphasized that no one would like their term shortened.

"Instead, everyone will be happy if they get an extension, and this is what the government is looking at as a solution during negotiations," he concluded.