The issue of “One Nation One Election” (ONOE) was raised under urgent public importance on the final day of the sixth session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) at the NLA Hall in Kohima.
MLA Achumbemo Kikon, who addressed the assembly on the matter, expressed his concern that the ONOE initiative would severely undermine the federal structure enshrined in the Indian Constitution. He argued that India, with its rich diversity of ethnicities and histories, cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to elections. Kikon emphasized that many citizens in rural areas rely on regional parties to address local issues, which would likely be sidelined if ONOE were implemented. He warned that national parties, focusing on issues of national interest, would dominate the electoral process, leaving local concerns unaddressed.
Kikon also raised concerns about the potential misuse of money, power, and government machinery by national parties, should ONOE be adopted. Speaking on election expenditure, he stressed that while cost reduction is necessary, it should not come at the cost of weakening the country’s federalism. Kikon pointed out that, despite the success of ONOE in countries like South Africa, Sweden, and Belgium, India’s large population and complex party-list proportional system would make its implementation a difficult task. He warned that ONOE could lead to a one-party rule, similar to a communist system, which could disrupt Indian democracy.
Kikon concluded by strongly opposing the ONOE initiative and urged the House to engage in a more thorough discussion of the matter at an appropriate time.
In response to the discussion, Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio provided a statement addressing the issue raised by MLA Kikon. Dr Rio explained that the “One Nation One Election” proposal had been introduced through the 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on 17th December 2024.
He noted that after intense debates in Parliament, the bill was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which consists of 27 Lok Sabha and 12 Rajya Sabha members. Dr Rio revealed that the JPC has already met twice to discuss the feasibility of implementing the bill, but the final recommendation is yet to be made.
The Chief Minister clarified that the bill was based on the recommendations of an 8-member High-Level Committee, which had submitted its findings to the President. Dr. Rio acknowledged the increasing cost and time consumption of elections, as well as the disruption caused by the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct in poll-bound areas, which halts development programs and impacts public life and services.
Dr Rio also provided a historical context, referencing the simultaneous elections norm that was in place from the first General Election in 1951 until 1967. He emphasized that it would be premature to comment further on the matter, given that the bill is still being reviewed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee.