Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Pie in the sky: On the idea of simultaneous elections

​Pie in the sky: On the idea of simultaneous elections

The simultaneous elections idea is a non-starter

With the Union government introducing two Bills in the Lok Sabha to implement its idea of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies, the stage is set for Parliament to debate the feasibility (व्यवहार्यता), or otherwise, of the idea of what the government calls “One Nation, One Election”. With the Opposition pressing on a division of votes on the introduction of the Bill — 263 for and 198 against — the writing on the wall was clear. The government does not have the two-thirds majority in Parliament to pass the constitutional amendments (संशोधन) to facilitate (सुगम बनाना, सहायता प्रदान करना) simultaneous elections. A 39-member House panel will examine the two Bills. The content in the Bills themselves are in line with the recommendations of a committee headed by former President of India Ram Nath Kovind that envisaged simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections as a first step, followed by municipal and panchayat polls within 100 days of the general election. For the amendments to conduct (आचरण, संचालन) municipal elections, they would have to be ratified (अनुमोदन करना, स्वीकृति देना) by at least half of the State Assemblies.

The Constitution Amendment Bill seeks to add a new provision that will provide for the timeline for simultaneous elections and as per the wording in the Bill, this could happen only in 2034 unless the Lok Sabha terms prior to that are curtailed (कम करना, सीमित करना) for some reason. Other provisions echo the Kovind committee recommendations — for example, if a State Assembly gets dissolved (भंग करना, घोलना) before five years of its term, after the “appointed date” — the date for synchronising (समकालिक करना) Lok Sabha and Assembly elections — fresh “midterm” elections will be held but the new Assembly will not have a full five-year tenure. Its tenure will end five years from the “appointed date”. The Bill also provides the Election Commission the option to defer or not hold Assembly elections to a particular State, but the full term of that Assembly will still coincide (To occur at the same time or place) with that of the Lok Sabha elections. These provisions are anti-federal. The idea of conducting multiple elections to an Assembly before the stipulated (शर्त रखना, निर्दिष्ट करना) five-year period also militates against the ostensible rationale provided for the idea of introducing simultaneous elections — cost-cutting. The idea of federalism (संघवाद), sharing power at different levels of governance, is tied to the exclusive importance and roles demarcated to them and elections are a way for voters to exercise their specific concerns related to these different levels of government. By subsuming (सम्मिलित करना, समाहित करना) the electoral cycles into one time frame, the idea of simultaneous elections has the potential to diminish the importance of each tier, which is also in line with the centralising tendencies of the BJP/NDA regime. This makes it imperative for those committed to federalism to steadfastly oppose this idea.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Feasibility (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - व्यवहार्यता
English Meaning - The practicality or possibility of something being achieved.

2.Amendment (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - संशोधन
English Meaning - A change or addition to a legal or statutory document.

3.Facilitate (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - सुगम बनाना, सहायता प्रदान करना
English Meaning - To make an action or process easier.

4.Conduct (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - आचरण, संचालन
English Meaning - The manner in which a person behaves; to organize and carry out a task.

5.Ratify (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - अनुमोदन करना, स्वीकृति देना
English Meaning - To officially approve or confirm.

6.Curtail (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - कम करना, सीमित करना
English Meaning - To reduce in extent or quantity.

7.Dissolve (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - भंग करना, घोलना
English Meaning - To officially end or terminate something; to mix with a liquid.

8.Synchronise (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - समकालिक करना
English Meaning - To occur at the same time or rate.

9.Stipulate (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - शर्त रखना, निर्दिष्ट करना
English Meaning - To demand or specify as a condition.

10.Federalism (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - संघवाद
English Meaning - A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent units.

11.Subsume (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - सम्मिलित करना, समाहित करना
English Meaning - To include or absorb something in a larger group.

12.Coincide (Verb)

English Meaning - To occur at the same time or place.