One Nation, One Election: Chauhan Says the Time Is Right

New Delhi, August 26 – Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan took to the press to challenge Congress senior leader P. Chidambaram’s view that a unified election schedule for India is unconstitutional. “Which jamir are you mentioning?” Chauhan asked, before laying out his historical perspective.

He reminded the audience that India held joint Lok Sabha and state assembly elections in 1952, 1957 and 1962. He asserted that after this period, the Congress allegedly resorted to unconstitutional maneuvers to unseat governments, disrupting the continuity of the electoral process.

Citing the 1983 Law Commission report, Chauhan pointed out that the commission recommended simultaneous parliamentary and state elections – a stance reinforced by the Election Commission. He also referenced an earlier 1918 commission finding that backed the same approach.

Former President Ram Nath Kovind, according to Chauhan, convened a series of discussions with concerned citizens across the country. The resulting report advocated a “one nation, one election” model, proposing that Lok Sabha and assembly votes be held together, with any remaining state polls completed within the next 100 days.

The minister warned that conducting elections in a staggered manner inflates costs and hampers development work. Continuous election cycles force the Prime Minister, chief ministers, legislators and senior bureaucrats to focus on campaigning, leaving essential development projects in limbo.

Concluding, Chauhan said the nation now requires simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, stating that the Congress’s internal debates are secondary to the overarching national interest.