One Nation, One Election: Another Tool to Reinforce Sanghi Dictatorship – SDPIPrime Minister Narendra Modi has repeated at the national conference of presiding officers that simultaneous elections to Loksabha and State Assemblies are inevitable. ‘One Nation, One Election’ is a promise by BJP in its election manifestos in 2014 and 2019. Although the idea would seem ‘brilliant,’ as the main reason put forward for the proposal is that huge amounts spent on elections could be reduced and the Model Code of Conduct implemented frequently, curtail the governance during the election process, the characteristics of Sanghi fascists do not allow one to believe that the move is so naïve. The nation has been witnessing since 2014, the year the NDA government came to power at the centre, each and every act of the government has been very precise and calculated to ease the path to Hindutwa Rashtra. There are number of demerits to simultaneous elections. First of all, it is unsuitable for the federal character of the country. It needs amendments of five Articles (Article 83, 85, 172, 174 and 356) of the Constitution and amendments to Representation of Peoples Act 1951. As far as the NDA government, the BJP rather, is concerned, it is a fact that they don’t care about the Constitution. And this amendment requirement is not going to bother them. They have never ever given any respect to the Constitution since their assumption to power or before, though they came to power ‘Constitutionally.’ The Election Commission’s powers also need to be restructured. State elections are normally contested based on local issues and issues specifically related to the states, not on national issues. When elections to Loksabha and State Assemblies are synchronised, people of states lose the opportunity to elect their representatives who are capable of handling issues directly affecting them, as the major parties would bring in national issues to the fore. Big parties would get upper-hand over small and regional parties, thus denying them the chance to raise their voice for the people of their state. By-polls are necessitated when the ruling party loses majority to rule, or Article 356 is invoked against a state government. In these scenarios with regard to states, if simultaneous election plan is adopted, such states shall have to be brought under President’s rule until the Parliament and other states complete their term of five years. If Loksabha is to be dissolved in such circumstances, all the State Assemblies should also have to be dissolved to conduct sychronised elections. In brief, cons are more than pros when simultaneous election proposal is accepted, and for that very reason simultaneous election is not acceptable. Over and above, this is a tool that will pave the way for the ruling party to amass majority of the states and Loksabha in elections, by orchestrating terror attacks during the elections, as was done in Pulwama, and seeking votes to ensure ‘national security,’ the best bait in the armoury of RSS. Thus, they can reinforce their fascist dictatorship.MK FAIZYNATIONAL PRESIDENTSDPI