BSP Chief Mayawati Supports ‘One Nation One Election’ System
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 18: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati has shown her support for the ‘One Nation One Election’ system. This comes after the Union Cabinet accepted recommendations from a high-level committee chaired by former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.
In a post on X, Mayawati stated, “Our party’s stand on the approval given today by the Union Cabinet to the proposal to hold simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha, Assembly, and local bodies in the country under the system of ‘One Country, One Election’ is positive, but its objective must be in the national and public interest.”
The High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, led by Ram Nath Kovind, recently presented its comprehensive report to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. The report outlines the benefits of conducting simultaneous elections at the central, state, and local levels, citing political and economic advantages.
The report emphasizes that frequent elections create uncertainty and affect policy decisions. Holding elections simultaneously would promote policy stability, ease governance, and increase voter participation. Economic benefits include higher growth, uninterrupted governance, and efficient use of government resources. Simultaneous elections would also reduce the financial burden on the government by avoiding repetitive election costs.
The report, which took 191 days of consultations and research and comprises 18,626 pages, is expected to play a crucial role in shaping discussions on election reform in India. It also recommends provisions for situations like a hung House or a no-confidence motion, suggesting fresh elections with limited terms for newly elected Houses.
Additionally, the Committee recommends synchronizing Municipal and Panchayat elections with national and state polls, to be conducted within 100 days of each other. This proposal requires ratification by at least half of the states.
The report concludes that simultaneous elections would enhance voter confidence, ease the election process, and strengthen India’s democratic structure by ensuring inclusivity, transparency, and social cohesion, ultimately driving development and meeting the country’s aspirations.
Doubts Revealed
BSP -: BSP stands for Bahujan Samaj Party, a political party in India that mainly represents the Dalits, a group of people who have been historically marginalized.
Mayawati -: Mayawati is a prominent Indian politician and the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). She has served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state.
One Nation One Election -: ‘One Nation One Election’ is a proposal to hold all elections in India—national, state, and local—at the same time. This is to make the election process more efficient and less costly.
Union Cabinet -: The Union Cabinet is a group of top government officials in India, including the Prime Minister and other ministers, who make important decisions for the country.
high-level committee -: A high-level committee is a group of experts and important people who are asked to study a specific issue and give recommendations. In this case, it was led by former President Ram Nath Kovind.
Ram Nath Kovind -: Ram Nath Kovind is a former President of India. He led the committee that studied the ‘One Nation One Election’ proposal.
simultaneous elections -: Simultaneous elections mean holding all elections at the same time, instead of having them at different times. This can save money and make things simpler.
policy stability -: Policy stability means having consistent and steady rules and laws, which helps in better planning and growth for the country.
economic growth -: Economic growth means the increase in the amount of goods and services produced by a country, which usually leads to better living standards for its people.
financial burden -: Financial burden refers to the cost or expense that needs to be paid. In this context, it means the money spent on conducting multiple elections.
hung Houses -: Hung Houses refer to a situation where no single political party gets a majority of seats in the election, making it difficult to form a stable government.
synchronizing local elections -: Synchronizing local elections means holding local elections at the same time as national and state elections to make the process more efficient.
voter confidence -: Voter confidence means that people trust the election process and believe that their vote will make a difference.
democratic structure -: Democratic structure refers to the way a democracy is organized, including how elections are held and how the government is run.