6 days ago
Economists Back One Nation, One Election Before Parliamentary Committee
A parliamentary committee is considering a plan to hold national and state elections at the same time.
Three economists told the committee they support the plan.
They said frequent elections can use up officials’ time and affect how the government spends money.
One economist also said elections can interrupt work and create uncertainty.
The committee chairman said teachers are sometimes assigned to election work instead of teaching.
Journalists who spoke to the committee had different opinions.
Some supported holding elections together, while others said regular elections help people hold their leaders accountable.
The committee is hearing views as it considers the proposed bills.
Three economists supported simultaneous elections when they appeared before a Joint Parliamentary Committee reviewing proposed legislation.
Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran reportedly said frequent elections shift public spending toward revenue rather than capital expenditure.
S Gurumurthy cited campaign demands, administrative strain, policy interruptions and uncertainty as costs of frequent polls.
Committee chairman P P Chaudhary said election duties can take teachers away from teaching and disrupt students’ studies.
Journalists who appeared before the committee disagreed: some supported simultaneous polls with caveats, while others defended regular elections as a source of accountability.
- Who
- Economists V Anantha Nageswaran, S Mahendra Dev and S Gurumurthy, along with journalists, appeared before a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
- What
- The committee heard views on proposed legislation for simultaneous elections.
- Where
- Before a Joint Parliamentary Committee; the article does not specify the meeting venue.
- When
- Monday; the article does not specify the date.
- Why
- The committee was hearing views on proposed bills concerning simultaneous elections.
Support simultaneous elections
Defend regular elections
Governance and election costs
Support simultaneous elections
Economists said frequent elections consume time and administrative resources, can interrupt policy work, and may affect spending and economic certainty.
Defend regular elections
Some journalists argued that continuous elections are an important feature of Indian democracy and allow regular accountability of elected representatives.
Views on the proposed reform
Support simultaneous elections
The economists who addressed the committee supported holding elections simultaneously.
Defend regular elections
Journalists’ views were divided; some who favoured simultaneous polls said pressing issues should be considered before the proposed bill is introduced.
Key facts
- Proposed reform
- Simultaneous elections, referred to as “One Nation One Election”
- Legislation under review
- The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024
- Economists heard
- V Anantha Nageswaran, S Mahendra Dev and S Gurumurthy
- Committee chairman
- P P Chaudhary
- Reported economic concern
- Frequent elections were said to direct fiscal allocation toward revenue expenditure rather than capital expenditure.
- Teacher deployment claim
- Chaudhary said the Gujarat chief secretary told the committee that around three lakh teachers are deployed for election duty.
- Journalists named
- Shekhar Gupta, Raj Chengappa, Anjana Om Kashyap and Sudhir Chaudhary
Quotes
P. P. Chaudhary
Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the simultaneous-elections bills
“Eighty-five per cent teachers are deployed in poll duties. Preparation of the voters list is different.”
CNBC TV 18
Sources
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