Keywords

Simultaneous Election, Electoral Process, Political disruptions, Governance, Policy making.

Introduction

The richness, liveliness and variety of our country are attributed to the plurality of languages, castes, and faiths that inhabit it. The basic integrity and cohesion that bind individuals across the nation together is what matters most. One of India's unique characteristics is its unity in variety, which is largely attributable to the 1950 constitutional framework that was put in place to guide and mould the future of millions of people. The Indian Constitution, which unites the various hues of religion, caste, and language into a single composite rainbow, provided a much-needed strong foundation. It declares the nation a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.

India is currently commemorating the 75th anniversary of August 15, 1947, the historic day that marked the country's independence from British domination.India is considered by the international community to be the largest and most stable democracy, with a strong foundation in democracy. The Apex Court of India has rightly referred to India as a "Oasis of Democracy" if we examine and contrast its record of democratic functioning with that of the other countries that gained independence from foreign rule at roughly the same time.¹

“The Concept of Democracy is visualized by the Constitution presupposes the representation of the people in Parliament and state legislatures by the method of election.”²

As, Democracy is one of the inalienable basic features of the Constitution of India and forms part of its basic structure.³ In the case of KihotoHollohanv. Zachillhu&Ors.,⁴the Hon’ble Supreme Court observed that,

“The Constitution includes a provision for democracy. It is not necessary to get into whether any particular brand or system of government has this attribute of a basic feature, as long as the key characteristics that entitle a system of government to be considered democratic are otherwise met. Elections held at regular, predetermined periods are critical to the democratic system envisioned in the Constitution. The necessity to defend and sustain the integrity of the election process is very important. This may include the quality, efficacy, and sufficiency of the mechanism for resolving electorate issues.”

Recent protests against the existing practise of holding ongoing elections in one or more regions of the nation have brought attention to the frequency of elections. Within that framework, simultaneous elections to all three tiers of government are being pushed as a reasonably effective approach (Ahuja, 2005). In popular parlance, simultaneous elections refer to elections held simultaneously for all three tiers of the constitutional institutions: the House of People (Lok Sabha), State Assemblies (Vidhan Sabha), and Local bodies. This essentially means that voters cast ballots for representatives at all levels of government on the same day.⁵

Simultaneous Elections refer to the concept of holding various elections-local,state and national-at the same time.This approach aims to streamline the electoral process,reduce cost and minimize impact of frequent elections on governance. It will help in enhancing the political stability and efficiency in governance.The critical veiw to the fact of its impact on federalism and potential challenges in implementation of the election plan.

A panal to acess thefeasibility of the simultanious elections was made by the central Government under the pannel leadership of Ram Nath Kovind,the former President of India.The work of the commission is tolook for a plan to comduct elections simultaniously in a smooth and streamlined manner.

The quantity of "third-tier" institutions is disproportionate, and the State is primarily responsible for their election. The Constitution specifies that each State Election Commission is in charge of directing and supervising elections for third-tier institutions. It would therefore be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to synchronise and synchronise third-tier election schedules with those of the House of People and State Legislative Assemblies.⁶

The election commission issued Code of Conduct for the first time in 1971 in 5^th Lok Sabha from time to time laying down the guidelines for the conduct of political parties and candidates during the election period.⁷ Registration process for political parties stated in 1989 so as to avoid confusion. The election commission gives recognition to political parties.

In TN Seshan v. Union of India and Others,⁸ In this case, “The Supreme Court held that Democracy being the basic feature of Constitutional set up, there can be no two opinions that free elections to our legislative bodies alone would guarantee the growth of a healthy democracy in the country. In order to ensure the purity of the election process, it was thought by the Constitution-makers that the responsibility to hold free and fair election in the country should be entrusted to an independent body which would be insulated from political and executive interference. This objective can be achieved by the setting up of an Election Commission, a permanent body, under Article 324(1) of the Constitution.”⁹

In Election Commission of India v. NG Ranga,¹⁰ the Supreme Court “directed Election Commission that it should follow the Principles of Natural Justice while examining the records of political parties before issuing notice to them so that Courts are not compelled to interfere in the process of inquiry of Election Commission.”

The researcher has talked about a few aspects of India's simultaneous elections. The researcher would now like to talk about concurrent election processes in other nations. In the US, elections for the Senate, the House of Representatives, and numerous state and local elections take place in addition to the presidential contest. The Senate and House of Representatives elections coincide with the presidential election. Legislative elections were held in a number of states. In the US, there are four different election levels: federal, local/municipal, devolved assemblies, and others. Elections typically take place on Tuesday, following November 1st Monday.¹¹

In the same manner, the United Kingdom being the unitary and parliamentary system of governance (Rudolph, 2021), the elections at the level of center, state and local bodies in addition to referendum is held on First Thursday in the month of May.¹²

Research from other nations—most notably the US—indicates that concurrent elections could have a "coattail effect."¹³ The question of what the coattail effect is now emerges. Put simply, it's the ability of a well-liked and powerful candidate to influence voters towards other party candidates during an election.

In India, a general election is a huge undertaking. It would be the same as holding elections simultaneously across Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia. The Election Commission of India is a constitutional agency that supervises, directs, and controls India's general elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. Local elections for Panchayats and Nagarpalikas are overseen by State Election Commissioners. Experience spanning nearly 50 years has revealed a number of flaws, some of which are rather serious, that have crept into the way India's elections are conducted, raising concerns among many people. There are constant references to the four Cs—criminalization, corruption, communalism, and casteism—as well as the three MPs—money power, muscle power, and mafia power. Additionally, the majority of our MPs are selected by a small number of votes, raising questions about their suitability as representatives. Consequently, our democratic process's integrity is seriously compromised.¹⁴

A general election in India is a massive undertaking. It is equivalent to having elections in Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia combined. General elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies in India are overseen, directed and controlled by the Election Commission of India, a constitutional agency. State Election Commissioners are in charge of elections to local entities such as Panchayats and Nagarpalikas. Nearly fifty years of experience has shown various inaccuracies, some very significant, that have crept into the conduct of India’s elections, causing widespread worry. There are frequent allusions to three MPs, namely money power, muscle power and mafia power, as well as four Cs, namely criminalisation, corruption, communalism and casteism. Furthermore, the bulk of our MPs are chosen by a small number of votes cast, casting doubt on their representative qualifications. As a consequence, the credibility of our democratic process is significantly jeopardized.

Saying that the Indian political system is perpetually in election mode is not unjust. The country has elections to about 5-7 State Assemblies every year, with the exception of a few unusual years throughout the Lok Sabha's normal 5-year mandate. In order to fill the 16th Lok Sabha, the Election Commission held elections from March to May 2014. Elections were held for the State Assemblies of four states in addition to the Lok Sabha. Andhra Pradesh (the state without division). Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Odisha were among the states that became distinct in June 2014 after Telangana was established as a separate entity by virtue of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2014.

As seen above, in addition to Lok Sabha elections in 2014, elections to around 15 State Assemblies were conducted between March 2014 and May 2016. Elections were conducted in March – May, September – October and October – December in 2014. Elections to State Assemblies were announced in certain instances within a month after the conclusion of elections to other State Assemblies.

Such frequent election cycles have a detrimental influence on administrative and developmental operations in polling states/regions, as well as the wider governance process in general. As a consequence, numerous stakeholders have long voiced a strong desire to develop a mechanism to halt the repeated election cycles. As a possible solution to the aforementioned dilemma (Amit, 2021), the notion of holding simultaneous elections is being carefully examined. Several significant political figures have also repeatedly expressed their support for the aforementioned notion in a variety of places. In the past, certain expert panels looked at this specific subject.

The creation of the timetable or calendar for the election of the legislative assembly is the exclusive responsibility of the Election Commission, which is not subject to any law enacted by the parliament.The parliament has the authority to make laws governing election administration, but election administration is solely the duty of the Election Commission. The Election Commission’s plenary powers cannot be revoked by legislation enacted by Parliament. Article 324 would be violated if Parliament passed such legislation.Holding periodic, free and fair elections by the Election Commission are part of the basic structure and the same was reiterated in Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain.

In Lakshmi Charan Sen v. AKM Hasan Uzzman and Ors.,¹⁵ The case is popularly known as West Bengal Electoral Rolls Case, Wherein Supreme Court observed that perfect roll is not possible.¹⁶ In addition to this, in case of Shyamdeo Pd Singh v. Naval Kishore Yadav,¹⁷the Supreme Court observed that illegality or irregularity in preparation of Electoral Roll cannot be ground for declaring election to be void. But it should be taken care that Electoral Rolls are not immune from challenge on the ground of defects thereof.

In Patangrao Kadam v.Prithviraj Sayajirao Yadav Deshmukh,¹⁸the Supreme Court held that to maintain purity of elections and to sustain faith of people in the elections, free and fair election is an essential requisite. The provisions of Representatives of People’s Act, 1951 ensure to punish those who indulge in corrupt practices at the election as they cannot be allowed to pollute the election process.

Electoral Right has been defined in People’s Representation Act 1951 to mean the right of the person to stand or not to stand as a candidate and thus a candidate can withdraw his nomination or may refrain from voting at elections. The Supreme Court has further clarified in case of People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India,¹⁹ that electoral right includes right to remain neutral or even cast a negative vote indicating his choice on the ballot papers or voting machines for the purpose (Komal, 2016). In addition to this, Court has given right to the electors to express in secrecy their disapproval of all the candidates in a fray by pressing an appropriate button or ticking appropriate column on voting machine or valet paper expressing that they does not wish to vote for any of the candidates.

Recently, the Hon’ble President of India and the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India both publicly expressed their support for having simultaneous elections. “With some election or another throughout the year, regular government operations come to a halt due to code of behavior,”²⁰ the Hon'ble President said.

“This is something the political leadership should consider. We can alter it if political parties think together.The Election Commission may also contribute ideas and efforts to keep the elections running smoothly, which would be very valuable.”

As a result, the Union Government solicited public feedback on the MyGov web page in order to investigate this concept and provide answers to its associated challenges (Karthikeyan, 2018).

After giving the brief introduction on given topic, now the researcher would like to throw light on various aspects of research design.

Review of Literature

Adv. Mohammad Nadeem (Simultaneous Elections in India: A Positive Approach to serve the purpose of Democracy) [2020], this article discusses about the election trend of 1952 and the viewpoints of the political parties on simultaneous elections and their analysis and it is concluded that there is no doubt that simultaneous elections have more advantages in the long run, despite certain difficulties. The specific difficulties that must be addressed in order to make this process smoother and more efficient in order to implement the idea of simultaneous elections. However, constitutional amendments can only make this idea a reality if they are carried out with caution, as such ideas should not undermine or neglect the country's federalism and diversity, that is, the very foundation of the Constitution should not be jeopardized.²¹

Amit Singh (One Nation One Election: Constitutional Challenges)[2021], in this author concluded that, there needs to be a consensus on whether the country needs one nation one poll or not. All political parties should at least cooperate in debating this issue, once the debate starts, the public opinion can be taken into consideration. India being a mature democracy, can then follow the outcome of the debate.²²

AmuitzGarmendiaMadariaga&H. EgeOzen (Looking for two-sided coattail effects: Integrated parties and multilevel elections in the U.S.)[2015], The authors by using a simultaneous equation model, estimate the reciprocal relationship between presidential and gubernatorial vote shares at the state level (Madariaga, 2015). While we find no consistent presidential coattails and reveal robust and significant gubernatorial coattail effects on state-level presidential vote, underscoring the role of multilevel forces within parties in democratic federations.²³

AS Yashwanth (Simultaneous Elections in India)[2022], concluded that Concurrent elections are important for more than just elections; they are also important for stable governance. A sensitive and far-reaching reform of this magnitude requires unanimous support from all political parties. Reports from Parliamentary Committees have proposed workable timelines for simultaneous elections. On the other hand, one should learn to walk before running and several electoral reforms are in the works before any political party considers holding simultaneous elections. Transparency in funding, paid news on poll predictions, barring one candidate from running for more than one seat, and, most importantly, passage of the Women's Reservation Bill. Finally, holding simultaneous elections before implementing all of these long-awaited reforms will only be a symbolic change.²⁴

Bashir Ahmad Wagay (Simultaneous Elections and Indian Democracy: a hanging fruit requiring safer hands to pluck it)[2016],

It was concluded that One Nation One Election idea is like (Bashir, 2016) “a hanging fruit requiring safer hands to pluck it” for a hungry person.²⁵

Bibek Debroy& Kishore Desai (Analysis of Simultaneous Elections: The What, Why and How – A Discussion Paper) [2017], the author of this paper suggested that, that a focused group of stakeholders, including constitution and subject area experts, think tanks, government officials, and members from different political parties, meet to hash out acceptable implementation specifics. This may entail devising a stakeholder communication strategy, writing relevant constitutional and legislative revisions, deciding on a practical structure to assist the transition to simultaneous elections and so on (Bibek, 2017). Implementing this step, like other long-term structural improvements, would inflict some short-term suffering. This, however, would be a step toward better administration and the greater implementation of “electoral reforms”an urgently needed move to re-boot the Indian democracy.

Consultation paper on Review of Election Law, Processes and reform options[2001],In this paper, the author after a review of various reports, research papers by activist organisations and concerned citizens, newspaper reports and analyses and other literature available on the subject of elections, this paper attempts to create a discussion and consultation agenda.

Dr. Bimal Prasad Singh (Electoral Reforms in India – Issues and Challenges)[2013],this paper has indicated the total happenings in the present days electoral exercise and also suggested some remedies for the betterment of the electoral system.²⁶

Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan (Desirability and Feasibility of holding simultaneous elections) [2016], It recommended various steps in order to achieve the twin objectives of simultaneous, regular elections to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, and radical improvement of politics and transformation of governance in states.²⁷

Jitendra Sahoo (One Nation, One Election in India)[2017], this article discusses about the implications of the statement made by former chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi who proposed one nation, one election reform in India. It was concluded that the public is the most powerful element in a democracy. If the people do not vote for criminals, dishonest and corrupt politicians who want to buy votes with money or muscular power, everything will run smoothly, and democracy will shine brightly in the dark spectrum of a previously corrupt and criminalized political system. So, although the EC is working hard in this area, it will fail unless all political parties and people accept responsibility. Finally, there should be a suitable system that is completely functioning and ready to deal with any triviality.²⁸

Kartikey Mishra (Simultaneous Elections- A Boon for India)[2020], This article-cum-blog written on Ipleaders talks about the concept of Simultaneous Elections with respect to India, its background and what are the international perspectives relating to it. In the end, it was concluded that it is now up to the government and “We the People of India” to decide whether it is a feasible idea for us or not, because this policy is ultimately for us and will affect us directly or indirectly. We should criticise government policies while also thinking about and enacting policies for our own benefit, because the answer to the question “who is the government?” Is “We, the Indian people.” So, in the end, we are the king and the sovereigns, and the decision rests solely with us and our representatives.²⁹

Law Commission Draft Report of 2018 on Simultaneous Elections [2018], The Department of Legal Affairs requested that the Commission investigate the topic of conducting simultaneous elections to the House of People and the State Legislative Assemblies and make a report to the Government. While the Commission was immersed in deep study and debates, a working paper and a draft report were presented to it for consideration. The working paper was discussed in a meeting on April 17, 2018and it was agreed that a summary of the article might be made public in order to generate more comments and views. The Commission has issued a Draft Report on the topic based on the answers received, meetings with stakeholders and a thorough examination of the problems involved.³⁰

Law Commission Summary of Draft Working Paper on Simultaneous Elections -Constitutional and Legal Perspectives– Response Paper and recommendations by select editors and members of the NUJS law review [2018], It assesses the key modalities proposed for implementing simultaneous elections in order to identify the most feasible model for conducting simultaneous elections. It examines the key issue of the potential impact of simultaneous elections on voter behavior, which could bias it in favor of national parties. This paper proposes concomitant electoral reforms that must be implemented concurrently with simultaneous elections in order to mitigate its oft-criticized negative effects on federalism and avoid anticipated harms. The proposed changes are outlined.³¹

Lukas Rudolf & Arndt Leininger (Coattails and spillover-effects: Quasi-experimental evidence from concurrent executive and legislative elections) [2021], The authors of this article discussed and analysed emphatically how concurrency affects electoral outcomes. First, concurrency increases turnout and thereby the participation of peripheral voters. Second, in combined elections, one electoral arena affects the other along with whether concurrency also entails spillovers of the incumbency advantage of executive officeholders to the concurrent legislative race.

M.L. Ahuja (General Elections in India: Electoral Politics, Electoral Reforms and Political Parties)[2001], This book has been divided into six sections, talking about the evolution and growth of democracy in Indian the functioning of the Election Commission of Insia, electoral reforms, role of electronic media and film stars, opinions and exit polls along with the ideologies of different political parties on the concept of election and simultaneous elections with the study of politics of Hindutva, Dalits, poverty alleviation, Muslim Votes etc. This book also describes the electoral battle between the States and the Union Territories and for all this the statistics collected from 1952 to 2004 has been examined by the author.³²

Parindu Bhagat & Dr MrsPurviPokharyal (Conceptual Reforms One Nation – One Election)[2005], This study looks at the "One Nation-One Election" theory and its implications, pros and cons, and challenges. This study uses secondary data from various reports and research papers. This article examines the role of elections in Indian democracy and their historicalsignificance. Constitutional amendments must be made, and legislation must be amended accordingly.³³

Prathik Karthikeyan (Simultaneous Elections)[2020], This paper aims to examine the interaction of the Basic Structure Doctrine in the constitution and its interaction with a recent proposal to switch back to the old format of having simultaneous elections. The paper examines the Basic Structure Doctrine and its interaction with the proposed switch to simultaneous elections.³⁴

Pratyay Bhaskar (A Simultaneous Election and It’s Constitutional Barriers)[2018], He in his research concluded that the issues that we are confronting now as far as spiraling expenses of races, regulatory weight on government and Election Commission and administration deficiency coming about because of these can be better settled in the event that we return to our prior discretionary framework whereby we had concurrent decisions for both parliament and state gatherings.³⁵

Priyanka Rai (Continuing Choices: Can Simultaneous Elections be A Credible Solution?)[2019], this blog discusses about the challenges that can be faced while choosing simultaneous elections and discusses on whether it is a credible solution or not (Priyanka ,2019).³⁶

Saroja Huggi (Desai) (Simultaneous Elections in India: Challenges and Remedies)[2020],This article discusses the difficulties that the Indian Election Commission has in synchronizing the elections of the center and the states. The positive advantage outweighs the negative, which might be remedied by certain sacrifices, changes, and revisions to the constitution's current regulations. Of course, holding simultaneous elections for the whole nation is problematic since many state legislatures are at various stages of their term. However, this is not a novel notion that should be dismissed. Immediately after the enactment of our new constitution, the nation experienced simultaneous elections. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the nation later held separate elections in distinct slots. This article discusses how we can successfully implement simultaneous elections, what problems we will encounter, and the benefits and drawbacks of the concept.³⁷

Seema Uikey, Bhavna Pathak et.al. (Scope of One Nation One Election: A Feed forwardStudy on People’s Perception)[2018], The current article examines public opinion of the One Nation, One Election policy. The study's findings indicate a good trend in the country's simultaneous elections. In the current situation, people are ready for electoral reform and change. The majority of respondents agreed that simultaneous elections would provide democracy stability, eliminate corruption, election and other needless expenditures, boost nationalism, accelerate development, and so on. Simultaneous elections are not detrimental to a nation like India since they are not a new phenomenon for Indians.³⁸

Sirus H. Dehdaria, Jaakko Meriläinen&SvenOskarsson (Selective abstention in simultaneous elections: Understanding the turnout gap)[2021],The author discussed the question, if two elections are held at the same day, why do some people choose to vote in one but to abstain in another? They argue that selective abstention is driven by the same factors that determine voter turnout. Their empirical analysis focuses on Sweden where the (aggregate) turnout gap between local and national elections has been about 2–3%. Rich administrative register data reveal that people from higher socio-economic backgrounds, immigrants, women, older individuals, and people who have been less geographically mobile are less likely to selectively abstain.³⁹

SumitHowladar (Simultaneous Elections: A Sure Recipe for Democratic Disaster)[2013],this paper observes and discusses India's democratic journey has been exciting and remarkable. It has taken several uncharted and difficult routes. Elections have been a key component and motivator in this project of democratic expansion and consolidation. The scale and mode of conducting elections have both changed dramatically with the passage of time. Previously, simultaneous elections to both the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies were held; however, in the last fifty years, this system has become obsolete. However, the current government has recently pushed for the renewal of this system of holding simultaneous elections. The revival of this system, according to this paper, is not in the best interests of the nation's democratic fabric in light of the changed socio-political scenario. It emphasizes that the arguments advanced in support of the proposal's desirability and feasibility are largely based on faulty assumptions and lack a solid argumentative foundation (Sumit, 2013). Delving into the various layers of the issue, the paper emphasizes the central point that, while conducting simultaneous elections may appear highly appealing on a technical level, from the standpoint of democratic fructification, this system is bound to be regressive and counter-productive.⁴⁰

V S Rama Devi & S K Mendiratta (How India Votes: Election Laws, Practice and Procedure)[2014], This book attempts to give the readers, detailed information on all aspects of the electoral system, practice and procedure relating to elections to the offices of the President and Vice-President of India, and to the Indian Parliament and state legislatures. Some historical background, not commonly known, but which often arouses curiosity in many a mind has also been given briefly. This book clearly well establishes the details and intricacies of our electoral system.⁴¹

Vaibhav Yadav (Democracy and Simultaneous Elections)[2022], in this article the author tried to answer the questions on What are the chances of the terms of Parliament and state legislative assemblies being coordinated? Does that make it constitutionally admissible if the answer to that is yes? The purpose of this article is to discuss the ramifications of holding simultaneous elections in India, as well as the influence this will have on the country's democracy.⁴²

Research Plan

The Research Problem

This research deals with the aspects of conducting simultaneous elections at both centre and states in the synchronized manner. The positive benefit overrides the negative which could be resolved by some adjustments and some amendments to the existing rules in the constitution. It is of course difficult to hold simultaneous elections to the whole country as many state assemblies have different stage of their tenure. But this is not at all a new concept to be denied as well. The country has witnessed simultaneous elections immediately after implementation of our new constitution. Later on, due to unavoidable situations country went on holding separate elections in different slots. This research gives the idea that how we can succeed in implementation of simultaneous elections, what challenges are to be faced and the pros and cons of the scheme.

Due to the lack of Simultaneous Elections the huge financial loss as well as wastage of time occurs. In addition to this, welfare schemes run bygovernment are hindered due to code of conduct in election areas leading to mitigating of effectiveness of government policies thus, affecting the cost of implementation. The effectiveness of procedure needs to be drafted to conduct simultaneous elections. The awareness of voters is also to be looked into.

Objectives of the Study

• To discuss the ways of larger public participation in relation to simultaneous elections.

• To discuss the implementation mechanism for conduct of simultaneous elections leading to concentration on developmental activities.

• To study the election mechanism at International level to ensure fruitful election process.

• To analyze various challenges for the conduct of simultaneous elections in India.

Scope& Limitations of the Research

The scope of research may include the comparative analysis of the system of elections prevailing in different countries around the world, more particularly, including United States & United Kingdom along with Canada, South Africa, Germany and many others, and thus, deriving a path mechanism for Indian elections to be conducted simultaneously. The study will focus on the elections in the Parliament and State Assemblies.The focus is on making the election process transparent and mechanized for smooth & successful conduct of Simultaneous Elections.

Research Hypothesis

1. India faces huge financial loss and wastage of time due to not having adopted the system of simultaneous elections.

2. Constructive vote of no-confidence maybe an alternative in case of downfall of government to be achieved by the way of amendment of the constitution.

Research Methodology

There are two methods of data collection one is primary and another is secondary. The primary date collection is based on first hand collection of information. While secondary data can be collected on the basis of already available literature. The researcher in this study has adopted doctrinal method for pursuing research on given topic. This is a second-hand technique for collecting data. The Election Commission of India's reports, current orders, memorandums and other data made accessible by the Commission will be fully utilized. Views stated in numerous newspapers, standard journals, news magazines and other periodicals including reports and websites are investigated and analysed. The researcher will use information available on public domain.

Conclusion

The idea of simultaneous elections discussed above gives us some insight about the various factors involved in conducting simultaneous elections.The synchronization of electoral cycles at different levels of government posing potential logistical challenges.The urgent need of various constitutional and legal amendments is necessary to align the terms of offices still running under a significant term. Additionally autonomy of local and state elections within the federal struture is crucial.The major role is played by the nation’s financial considerations,administrative capabilities,political structure along with legal framework.With the specific context in mind careful consideration and public discourse in assessing the possibility and desirability of simultaneous elections.

End Notes

¹Lakshmi Charan Sen v A K M Hassan Uzzaman, AIR 1985 SC 1233.

²NP Ponnuswami v Returning Officer, Namakkal, AIR 1952 SC 64.

³Kesavanand Bharti v State of Kerala, AIR 1973 SC 1461.

⁴AIR 1993 SC 412.

⁵Bibek Debroy and Kishore Desai, “Analysis of simultaneous elections: The What, Why and How” available at: https://ideas.repec.org/p/ess/wpaper/id11756.html (last visited on 23^rd May, 2022).

⁶The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961.

⁷(1995) 4 SCC 611.

⁸Supra note 14.

⁹AIR 1978 SC 1609.

¹⁰Available at: www.usa.gov. (last visited 23^rd May, 2022).

¹¹Available at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk (last visited 23^rd May, 2022).

¹²Lukas Rudolph & Arndt Leininger, Coattails and spillover-effects: Quasi-experimental evidence from concurrent executive and legislative elections, 70 Electoral Studies 102264 (2021) available at Elsevier and https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2020.102264 (last visited 23^rd May, 2022).

¹³Consultation paper on Review of Election Law, Processes and reform options, National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution prepared by Advisory Panel on Electoral Reforms; Standards in Political Life (2001).

¹⁴The total number of Gram Panchayats, Block Panchayats and District Panchayats in the country is estimated to be about 2.51 lakhs Statisticsavailable athttp://www.panchayat.gov.in/documents/10198/456811/MoP R%20at%20a%20Glance_English%20%2820.09.2016%29.pdf (last visited 23^rd May, 2022).

¹⁵1975 AIR 865, 1975 SCR (3) 333.

¹⁶AIR 1985 SC 1233.

¹⁷AIR 2000 SC 3000.

¹⁸AIR 2001 SC 1121.

¹⁹Write Petition (Civil) No. 161 of 2004 decided on 27 September 2013 available at https://indiankanoon.org/doc/58263027/(last visited 23rd May, 2022).

²⁰Available at: https://www.livemint.com/Politics/uFkHsKsNfhHS14zBABu8WM/Government-seeks-public-comments-on-simultaneous-polls.html (last visited 23rd May, 2022).

²¹Adv. Mohammad Nadeem, Simultaneous Elections in India: A Positive Approach to serve the purpose of Democracy, II Corpus Juris, 17 (2020).

²²Amit Singh, One Nation One Election: Constitutional Challenges, Legal Service India (available at: https://www.legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-1763-one-nation-one-election-constitutional-challenges.html. last visited 20^th May, 2022).

²³Amuitz Garmendia Madariaga & H. Egeozen, Looking for two-sided coattail effects: Integrated parties and multilevel elections in the U.S., 40 Electoral Studies, 66-75 (2015).

²⁴A S Yashwanth, Simultaneous elections in India, 3(3) IJLMH 1862 (2022).

²⁵Bashir Ahmad Wagay, Simultaneous Elections and Indian Democracy: A hanging fruit requiring safer hands to pluck it, 5(44) SRIJS (2016).

²⁶Dr. Bimal Prasad Singh, Electoral Reforms in India – Issues and Challenges, 2(3) IJHSSI 1-5 (2013).

²⁷Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, Desirability and Feasibility of holding simultaneous elections submitted to GOI, available at: https://www.fdrindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Suggestions-on-Feasibility-of-holding-simultaneous-elections-to-Lok-Sabha-and-State-Assemblies-15-Oct-2016.pdf (last vsited 22nd May, 2022).

²⁸Jitendra Sahoo, One, Nation, One Election in India, 4 SRJIS 6119-6131 (2017).

²⁹Available at: https://blog.ipleaders.in/simultaneous-elections-boon-india/ (last visited 23^rd May, 2022).

³⁰Law Commission Draft Report of 2018 on Simultaneous Elections.

³¹Law commission summary of draft working paper on simultaneous elections, constitutional and legal perspectives – response paper and recommendations by select editors and members of the NUJS law review.

³²Ahuja M. L., General Elections In India: Electoral Politics, Electoral Reforms And Political Parties (Icon Publishers 2005).

³³Parindu Bhagat &Dr. Mrs. PurviPokharyal, Conceptual Reforms One Nation – One Election, 3929-3935, Ilkogretim Online 19(4), available at https://www.ilkogretim-online.org/fulltext/218-1621009949.pdf (last visited 21st May, 2022).

³⁴Prathik Karthikeyan, Basic Structure Doctrine and the Possibility of Simultaneous Elections, available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3666391 (last visited 21^st May, 2022).

³⁵Pratyay Bhaskar, A Simultaneous election and it’s Constitutional barriers, 4(9) JCIL, available at https://jcil.lsyndicate.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2.-Pratyay-Bhaskar.pdf (last visited 21st May, 2022).

³⁶Priyanka Rai, Continuing Choices: Can Simultaneous Elections be A Credible Solution?, CLSNLUO (2019), available at https://clsnluo.com/2019/08/28/continuing-choices-can-simultaneous-elections-be-a-credible-solution/ (last vsited 22nd May, 2022).

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Received: 08-May-2024, Manuscript No. JLERI-24-14720; Editor assigned: 09-May-2024, Pre QC No. JLERI-24-14720(PQ); Reviewed: 23-May-2024, QC No. JLERI-24-14720; Revised: 29-May-2024, Manuscript No. JLERI-24-14720(R); Published: 07-June-2024