One Nation One Election: Federalism and Constitutional Concerns in India

The proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) framework, through the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, has raised debates on its implications for federalism, parliamentary accountability, and constitutional design.

About One Nation, One Election

• Definition: One Nation, One Election (ONOE) proposes holding elections to the Lok Sabha and all State Legislative Assemblies simultaneously.
• Arguments in Favour:
• • Reduced Election Expenditure: Simultaneous elections can reduce administrative and logistical costs.
  • Governance Efficiency: Minimises disruptions caused by the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and allows governments to focus more on development.
  • Reduced Campaign Cycle: Limits continuous political campaigning, improving policy continuity.

The Economic and Philosophical Argument of One Nation, One Election (ONOE)

• Questioning the Cost Narrative: Election expenditure in India is less than 1% of GDP, raising doubts about the economic justification for a major constitutional change.
• Elections Are Not an “Overhead”: In economic terms, overhead refers to avoidable expenses, but elections are essential to democratic functioning.
• The Price of Democracy: Elections represent the recurring cost of self-government, ensuring legitimacy and citizen participation in governance.

Benefits of Staggered Elections

• Continuous Political Answerability: Frequent elections at different levels (State and Centre) ensure that those in power remain constantly accountable to the public.
• Performance Incentives: If elections only occur once every five years, the fear of losing (which drives performance) decreases.
  • Staggered elections ensure leaders remain answerable every couple of years as different states go to the polls.

Impact on Federalism and Local Issues

• The Two-Storey Federalism Analogy: Federalism can be compared to a two-storey structure, with the Union and States exercising distinct constitutional powers.
• Risk of National Dominance: Simultaneous elections may cause national narratives (security, foreign policy) to overshadow local governance issues such as water supply, roads, and electricity.
• Weakening State Autonomy: Synchronised elections could reduce the political space for state-specific concerns and policy priorities.

Constitutional Basic Structure Concerns

• Basic Structure Doctrine: In Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, the Supreme Court held that Parliament cannot alter the Constitution’s basic structure.
• Legal Conflict: Since federalism and democracy are part of this Basic Structure, implementing simultaneous elections could be seen as a violation that distorts the constitutional identity.

Expert Recommendations on ONOE

• Justice Kurian Joseph Committee: It was constituted by the Tamil Nadu Government in April 2025 to examine Union–State relations and rising centralisation in India.
• Recommendation (Feb 2026 Report): The committee recommended withdrawing the One Nation, One Election (ONOE) proposal, citing concerns about federalism and constitutional balance.
• Assessment of the Proposal: The committee concluded that the benefits are overstated, while the structural risks to federalism and democracy are significant.

Case Study: Indonesia’s Logistical Nightmare

• A Warning Example: Indonesia held a one-day simultaneous election in 2019 for the President and all legislative levels, leading to around 900 poll worker deaths and over 5,000 illnesses due to extreme administrative strain.
• Similar issues occurred in 2024, prompting the Constitutional Court of Indonesia in June 2025 to mandate separate national and local elections from 2029 to reduce voter and administrative overload.
• Scale of the Risk: Given that India is much larger and more diverse than Indonesia, repeating this could lead to even greater democratic tragedies.

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Conclusion

Elections are the essential cost of democracy. Administrative efficiency cannot justify reforms that weaken federalism, constitutional balance, or democratic accountability.

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