Indian Parliament to discuss election reform proposal

India’s Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is meeting today to discuss the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal.

Elections in India are currently split among federal, state, and local levels, all of which have five-year cycles, but are not simultaneous. This ambitious proposal, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), would sync all Indian elections on the same five-year cycle. Two bills regarding this proposal were referred to the JPC in late December, but lacked sufficient yes votes to be passed as constitutional amendments. The JPC will have 90 days to review these bills, analyze feedback, and propose recommendations.

Supporters of this proposal argue that it will benefit all Indians because of the economic benefits it will create. India spent over $7 billion on the 2019 general elections, which was the most in the world. Former President, and supporter, Ram Nath Kovind, claimed that a shift to simultaneous elections could boost India’s GDP up to 1.5%. Opponents of this bill fear that it will weaken India’s federal structure, and result in the decline of states’ autonomy. In the short term, particularly the 90-day window for the JPC, it will be interesting to see how much support the proposed bills receive, and if the BJP can gain the votes required to amend the constitution. If these amendments pass, it will be a major change for Indian elections, as the country has not held simultaneous elections since 1967, and may lead to increased centralization of power for the BJP in the future.