Gandhinagar, May 21 (SocialNews.XYZ) As the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the proposed “One Nation, One Election” framework concluded its three-day consultation visit to Gujarat on Thursday, educational institutions and industry bodies emerged among the strongest supporters of simultaneous elections, arguing that repeated polls were causing sustained disruption to academic functioning, labour availability and economic activity across the state.
The 39-member committee, chaired by BJP MP P. P. Chaudhary, is examining the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seek to synchronise elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
During consultations in Gandhinagar, the panel met political parties, state officials, educational institutions, economists, industry representatives and civil society groups as part of a wider nationwide outreach exercise.
Much of the discussion during the final day of consultations centred on the cumulative impact of repeated elections on governance, education systems, industrial production and migrant labour movement.
Gujarat University and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Gujarat submitted detailed assessments arguing that the existing cycle of staggered elections imposes recurring institutional and economic costs.
In its submission to the committee, Gujarat University described simultaneous elections as “perhaps the most consequential electoral reform India has contemplated since the post-Emergency era” and stated that the proposal did not, in itself, violate the federal structure of the Constitution provided the autonomy of state legislatures remained protected.
The university argued that repeated elections led to diversion of administrative manpower, disruption of academic schedules, delays in examinations and interruptions caused by the Model Code of Conduct.
It said more than 90 per cent of its workforce had been deployed for election duty in every major election cycle between 2017 and 2024 under provisions of the Representation of the People Act.
According to figures submitted to the committee, 283 of 303 employees were deployed during the 2017 Gujarat Assembly election, 313 of 343 employees during the 2019 Lok Sabha election, 284 of 304 employees during the 2023 Assembly election and 442 of 452 employees during the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
The university described the 2024 deployment as “a near-total institutional shutdown for election-related purposes”.
The submission stated that repeated election duties disrupted classroom teaching, examination supervision, paper evaluation, admissions, research activity and student support services, particularly during March-May and October-November examination periods.
The university also referred to findings of the high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which estimated that real GDP growth could be 1.5 percentage points higher in the year following simultaneous elections compared with years involving separate polls.
It cited estimates suggesting India spent around Rs 1.35 lakh crore on the 2024 Lok Sabha election alone and argued that synchronised elections could significantly reduce recurring public expenditure and administrative disruption.
Industry representatives of FICCI, CII, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, architects and universities were also present.
In its recommendations, Confederation of Indian Industry-Gujarat chapter argued that staggered polls currently create periodic but manageable labour movement, whereas simultaneous elections could trigger a concentrated migration of workers back to their home states.
The industry body noted that sectors such as construction, textiles, logistics, brick kilns and agriculture in industrial states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi depend heavily on migrant labour.
It warned that simultaneous elections could create a “single, simultaneous pull back” of workers unless specific safeguards were introduced.
To address this, CII Gujarat proposed a “Migrant Voter Facilitation Framework (MVFF)”, recommending Aadhaar-verified remote voting facilities for migrant workers, 3-5 days staggered early voting windows and statutory obligations on larger employers to provide paid election leave along with workforce continuity plans.
The organisation also recommended a phased implementation model beginning with digital and legal integration, followed by synchronisation of Lok Sabha and assembly elections, and later alignment of municipal and panchayat polls within 100 days of main elections.
"Industries are concentrated in Surat, Morbi, Rajkot, and other parts of the state. Many migrant workers coming from Bihar, Jharkhand, etc. are having employment here. They go back when elections occur. This can lead to significant loss in productivity, industry output and costs. This move is welcomed and much needed," an industry leader told IANS.
Throughout the consultations, Chaudhary repeatedly argued that frequent elections imposed broader economic and governance costs that extended beyond direct government expenditure.
Referring to estimates previously cited before the committee, he told IANS: "Simultaneous elections could potentially save the country around Rs seven lakh crore through reduced disruption to production, logistics, public administration and labour movement. This figure may even raise as we are speaking to industry bodies."
Addressing concerns raised during the interaction over federalism, government accountability and truncated legislative terms, Chaudhary said: "The proposed framework was still under examination and the committee was considering multiple international models, including German and Japanese parliamentary practices, as possible safeguards against instability arising from no-confidence motions."
He maintained that the committee was collecting suggestions from political parties, legal experts, economists, educational institutions and civil society before finalising its recommendations to Parliament.
During the discussions, he also said the committee had consulted former judges, economists and constitutional experts to examine whether simultaneous elections would affect the Constitution’s federal structure or democratic framework.
Several participants questioned whether limiting the tenure of governments elected after a no-confidence motion to the remainder of the original five-year cycle would dilute voters’ rights.
In response, Chaudhary argued that the Constitution already permits governments elected for five years to fall earlier because of parliamentary confidence requirements, and said: "The proposed framework sought to minimise repeated disruptions while preserving democratic accountability."
He also stated that the committee was examining safeguards to minimise premature dissolutions and considering whether anti-defection provisions or no-confidence mechanisms required changes under a synchronised electoral system.
The consultations formed part of a wider national outreach exercise by the JPC, which has been travelling across states to gather stakeholder views on the proposed constitutional amendments before preparing its report for Parliament.
Source: IANS
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