One Nation, One Election Bad For Federalism: Former CEC SY Quraishi
He also expressed concerned about the personality of national leaders in the Lok Sabha elections dwarf those of the leaders contesting the local elections.
Image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay
The one nation, one election move is logistically a good idea but bad for federalism and constitutionalism, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi said on Wednesday. However, former CEC Om Prakash Rawat disagreed on the feasibility of the scheme with regards to voter turnout in the Panchayati Raj elections.
The comments come after the Union Cabinet approved the proposal, with an aim to conduct simultaneous assembly and parliamentary elections.
Speaking to NDTV Profit, Quraishi expressed concern regarding local issues getting subjugated by national interests and national concerns. "It is logistically a good idea, but federally, constitutionally, a bad idea."
If you are living in a village, if there is a ditch in front of your house, will you vote on the basis of that problem or the country's Ukraine policy?SY Quraishi
He also expressed scepticism regarding the logistical viability of the operation. "Manufacturing the electronic voting machines and voter verifiable paper audit trail machines is time-consuming; they cannot come out of the closet by the press of a button," Quraishi said.
He also said there would be a significant increase in manpower, with an additional 50 lakh people being required, along with three times the amount of equipment the EC has in hand.
Quraishi said the committee for recording everything "honestly and truthfully" was a "plus point," but he found the recommendations itself "amusing."
His main contention was Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha having simultaneous elections, but the Panchayati Raj elections being held after 100 days. "We have 4,120 members of the Legislative Assembly and 543 members of Parliament—30 lakh Panchayati Raj elected people you have excluded," the former CEC said.
Holding an election after 100 days is a new election due to it requiring separate arrangements. This will imply that the constitutional rights of such voters would be encroached on, Quraishi said, seeing no sincerity in the idea of simultaneous elections.
All the voters who have come after taking leave from their factories, from their offices will not be able to come back to the village within 100 days for a second time.SY Quraishi
He also expressed concern about the personalities of national leaders in the Lok Sabha elections dwarfing those of the leaders contesting the local elections. "Their leader is more dynamic and charismatic. While voting for your panchayat, you will not have the face of the sarpanch, but you will have the face of the biggest leader," the former CEC said.
Rawat, the 27th CEC, disagreed with the notion that holding Panchayati Raj elections after 100 days would alienate and discourage voters from coming back to vote again for them.
"Local elections are very contentious and people are very involved in these elections," he said. "They'll come back, because for them, the elections are more important than legislative and parliamentary elections."
Rawat said that when municipal and panchayat elections are clubbed together, then problems arise regarding logistics and coordination. "I don't think so, because these two levels are very different. It cannot be done away with," he said when asked about the feasibility of holding them simultaneously.
He pointed out that the EC was the first to propose this in the 1980s. "After '67, Parliament and state elections had gone out of sync. I think what they have been thinking then should be welcome," the former CEC said.
