Union Minister G Kishan Reddy Supports Simultaneous Elections
Hyderabad: Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy, has expressed his support for the Union Cabinet’s decision to approve simultaneous elections. He believes this will help India move closer to its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
Reddy explained that simultaneous elections, also known as “One Nation, One Election” (ONOE), will stop the constant cycle of elections for state assemblies and parliament. According to him, this continuous election process creates obstacles for decision-making and slows down development. It also costs a lot of money and disrupts the government’s ability to focus on important issues.
The Minister highlighted that in the past five years, elections have been held frequently in different parts of the country. This has led to the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which restricts the government from making key policy decisions. In some cases, even routine decisions couldn’t be made because of the elections. He also pointed out that election rallies and other activities cause inconvenience to the public.
Reddy mentioned that holding elections separately for the parliament and states costs over ₹4,500 crore. He said simultaneous elections would reduce this cost and allow both national and regional issues to be addressed fairly. He also believes that it would boost voter turnout, as people often get tired of frequent elections.
A committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind found that India’s real GDP growth tends to be higher during periods of simultaneous elections. The committee estimated that simultaneous elections could increase GDP growth by 1.5 percentage points, which is equivalent to ₹4.5 lakh crore in 2024. This amount is half of the government’s spending on health and one-third of its spending on education.
The committee strongly recommended holding elections simultaneously and submitted a report to the Union Government. It also proposed using a common electoral roll and voter ID card for all elections, which would protect voters’ rights. To make this possible, they suggested making changes to Article 325 of the Indian Constitution.
The committee recommended that elections be held in two phases: first for the Parliament and State Assemblies, and then for Local Body elections within 100 days. Reddy believes that completing the election process in six months would allow the government to focus on national development for the remaining four and a half years.
Lastly, Kishan Reddy said that the Cabinet has called for a nationwide discussion on the topic. They have also decided to form a committee to oversee the implementation of simultaneous elections.
