New Delhi:
Finance Commission Chairman Arvind Panagariya in an affirmation to the idea of ‘One Nation, One Election’ explained that frequent elections do not give enough opportunities to the government to carry out reforms.
NK Singh, the former Chairman of the Finance Commission, also supported ‘One Nation, One Election’ as a key area of economic reforms, citing wasteful expenditure and distractions due to “elections being held every second day”.
Both economists spoke to NDTV Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia in an exclusive interview.
Mr Panagariya, who served as the first Vice Chairman of the government think tank NITI Aayog from January 2015 to August 2017, told NDTV, “One Nation, One Election constitutes a very, very far reaching important reform, far beyond the political matrix, which has huge implications for economic growth and development.”
“If I may add, on this important issue that Mr Singh has mentioned, One Nation, One Election. When elections happen repeatedly, it also impacts the government’s ability to introduce reforms,” Mr Panagariya said.
“The current situation actually provides a good example. In May 2024 we had the parliamentary elections and since then we have been having one or another election every six months,” he told NDTV.
“That obviously denies the government the ability to bring major reforms because they become the bone of contention during elections,” Mr Panagariya added.
A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) reviewing the One Nation, One Election bill has 27 members from Lok Sabha and 12 from Rajya Sabha.
The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill was introduced in the winter session of the Lok Sabha. The bill would pave the way for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies with minimum gap.
But its implementation will need a series of amendments to the Constitution that can only be done with two-thirds majority in parliament. Some provisions may have to be ratified by governments in states and Union Territories.
The Opposition has voiced objections, with most parties contending that the bill would subvert the Constitution – an allegation the government has repeatedly refuted. The Opposition parties have claimed the Centre is robbing the states of the right to self-determination, besides violating the Constitution.
