DAW 29th November 2025, Mains Answer Writting 2026

DAW 29th November 2025, Mains Answer Writting 2026

Question

Examine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees with particular reference to “one nation-one election principle." (250 Words, 15 Marks). 

Model Answer

Approach: Introduction:  

  • Define electoral reforms as tools to enhance transparency, efficiency, and participation; introduce ONOE as a major reform highlighted by the Kovind Committee. 

Body: 

  • Need for Reforms: Criminalization, money power, MCC disruptions, low turnout, digital misinformation, and faulty rolls demand urgent reforms. 

  • Need for ONOE: Saves costs, reduces MCC freezes, improves administrative efficiency, curbs populism, lowers polarization, boosts voter convenience. 

  • Committees’ Support: EC (1983), LCI (1999 & 2018), and Kovind Committee endorse simultaneous polls with phased rollout and a single electoral roll. 

  • Challenges: Federal concerns, reduced accountability, overshadowing of state issues, constitutional hurdles, political instability, logistical burdens. 

  • Way Forward 

 Conclusion: 

  • ONOE can improve efficiency but must protect federalism and democratic accountability, ensuring balanced and constitutional implementation. 

       

          Introduction: 

  • Electoral reforms in India have long been essential to strengthen the efficiency, transparency, and inclusiveness of the democratic process. Among these, the principle of “One Nation - One Election”, recently reinforced by the Ram Nath Kovind Committee, this reform is viewed as a transformative step toward enhancing political stability and creating a more streamlined electoral process across the country. 

 Body: Need for Electoral Reforms in India: 

  • “Permanent campaign” & policy paralysis 

  • The Law Commission (170th Report) noted that elections “every year, and in the off-season” distort governance and recommended a return to concurrent LS–Assembly polls. 

  • NITI Aayog’s paper on Simultaneous Elections argued that frequent elections lead to prolonged Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which delays projects and encourages short-term populism. 

  • Criminalization of Politics: 

  • Rising numbers of lawmakers face serious criminal charges, weakening democratic credibility. 

  • Example: Law Commission (2015) & SC (2018) urged barring candidates with heinous offences. 

  • Excessive Money Power and uneven playing field: 

  • The 170th and later Law Commission reports, as well as the 244th Report on Electoral Disqualifications, point to the influence of black money, criminalisation, and opaque funding, and call for stricter expenditure monitoring and faster trials. 

  • Example: Electoral Bonds struck down (2024) for opacity. 

  • Low Voter Participation & Exclusion: 

  • Migrants, elderly, and urban poor remain under-represented. 

  • Example: ECI’s proposed Remote Voting Machines for 45 crore migrants. 

  • Digital Manipulation & Misinformation: 

  • Fake news, deepfakes, and targeted ads distort voter opinion. 

  • Example: Thousands of fake ads flagged in 2019; deepfakes surged in 2024. 

  • Faulty Electoral Rolls: 

  • Errors and duplication cause large-scale disenfranchisement. 

  • Example: Recommendations for Aadhaar-voter ID linkage and door-to-door verification. 

 Need for One Nation-One Election (ONOE): 

  • Major Fiscal Savings: 

  • Simultaneous elections can reduce national expenditure to ₹4,500 crore, avoiding repeated large-scale spending. 

  • Continuous Governance: 

  • ONOE restricts MCC imposition to one period, avoiding repeated administrative freezes. 

  • Efficient Use of Human Resources: 

  • Reduces repeated deployment of 11 million+ personnel and security forces. 

  • Strengthens Long-Term Policy Planning: 

  • Minimizes short-term populism and enables stable, development-oriented governance. 

  • Promotes Social Harmony: 

  • Cuts down repetitive political polarization and election-driven tensions. 

  • Enhances Voter Convenience: 

  • Reduces voter fatigue and makes participation easier, improving overall turnout. 

 Electoral reforms as suggested by various committees on “one nation - one election”: 

  • It was supported by Election Commission in 1983 itself. In 1999, the LCI headed by Justice B. P. Jeevan Reddy also advocated for simultaneous elections. 

  • In 2018, the Law Commission of India (LCI)- In 2018, it released a draft report on simultaneous elections and recommended three alternatives to synchronise elections in India. 

  • Ram Nath Covind Panel- suggested 15 amendments including insertion of a new Article 82A and Amendment of Article 327. 

  • Key Recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections:  

  • Phased Implementation: Simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and State Assemblies first, followed by local bodies within 100 days.  

  • Electoral Roll and EPIC Harmonization: Creation of a Single Electoral Roll and Single EPIC for all tiers of government to reduce duplication and errors.  

  • Economic and Legal Impacts: The committee emphasized reducing election-related disruptions and improving resource allocation for better governance. 

 Challenges of One Nation – One Election: 

  • Reduced Accountability: Limited chances for voters to express dissatisfaction; fewer opportunities to evaluate government performance. 

  • Need for By-Elections: Resignations or deaths will still require frequent by-polls, keeping the electoral cycle active. 

  • Dilution of Local Issues: Simultaneous polls may overshadow state-level concerns; 77% probability of voters choosing the same party for both (IDFC Institute). 

  • Imbalance of Power: National wave may help one party dominate both Centre and states, weakening political diversity. 

  • Threat to Federalism: Greater centralization of power and reduced state autonomy in decision-making. 

  • Political Instability Risks: Coalition politics, defections, and horse-trading may increase, affecting stable governance. 

  • Constitutional & Legal Hurdles: Requires extensive amendments (e.g., 15 amendments proposed by Kovind Committee) and wide political consensus. 

  • Logistical Challenges: Ensuring nationwide availability of EVMs, personnel, security forces, and storage facilities. 

 Way Forward : 

  • Cluster State Elections: As suggested by Law Commission- two elections in five years or all elections falling due in a calendar year should be conducted together. 

  • Coupling the ‘no-confidence motion’ along with the ‘vote of confidence’ in an alternative government. Eg- Constructive vote of no confidence in Germany. 

  • Building consensus among political parties and states through open dialogues, consultations, and deliberations. 

 Conclusion: 

  • While One Nation–One Election can improve governance efficiency, reduce costs, and boost voter participation, its adoption must respect India’s federal structure, a Basic Structure principle affirmed in the S. R. Bommai judgment. Learning from models like Sweden and South Africa, India must ensure that implementation is balanced, constitutionally sound, and preserves state autonomy and democratic accountability. Only then can ONOE truly strengthen the country’s democratic framework.