One Nation, One Election? ECI says Parliament must take call on simultaneous polls

'One nation one election' is a question the Parliament will have to decide on, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said Monday. The ECI's statement came after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Delhi High Court that calling on the ECI to ascertain the feasibility of conducting Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections simultaneously. The ECI said it is for the Parliament to take a call on amending the Representation of The People Act for simultaneous elections to take place across the nation. 

The Election Commission's opinion:

Advocate Sidhant Kumar, representing the ECI, said it is the Parliament's call to consider amendments to the Constitution and the Representation of The People Act. Kumar added that a Constitution Bench of the apex court has already said that the schedule of polls is within the absolute discretion of the ECI. Kumar also objected to the petitioner's plea which sought the court to direct the ECI to conduct elections on Saturdays, Sundays or other holidays. 

What the Delhi HC said: 

A two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Justice Satish Chander Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad observed: "We know our limitation, the prayer sought in the petition completely falls under the Election Commission domain. We are not lawmakers." 

What the petitioner said: 

Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, the petitioner in the case, also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said in his petition that there are a lot of benefits to conduct Lok Sabha, Assembly, Panchayat and municipal elections together. The petitioner said holding simultaneous elections would be effective and efficient in terms of using paramilitary forces, government employees and Election Commission staff. 

He added that conducting elections simultaneously would prevent cut cost of campaigning.The petition further stated that the need for holding panchayats, municipal bodies, and the Lok Sabha has been addressed and deliberated on in Parliament.

The plea read, "As elections have become a big budget affair and expensive, the Law Commission of India in its 170th Report on Reform of Electoral Laws (1999) has suggested simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for the sake of stability in governance. But the Centre and ECI did not take appropriate steps."