While One Nation One Poll is doable with difficulty, is it worth it? | The Indian Express

While One Nation One Poll is doable with difficulty, is it worth it? | The Indian Express

Written by Meghnad Desai |Updated: June 23, 2019 7:51:17 am

Meghnad Desai loves to cook, watch and write about old Bollywood movies and shuttles between London, Delhi and Goa. He pursues controversies on economics, history and anything else which catches his attention. He is also a British parliamentarian sitting in the House of Lords. He has written over 25 books, over 200 articles in learned journals and hundreds of newspaper columns in UK and India.

While One Nation One Poll is doable with difficulty, is it worth it?

Over time, states have increased their power vis-a-vis the Centre except in financial matters. Regional parties are powerful at home but may be weak at the Centre. What keeps the Union together is the electoral freedom for states to go at their own pace.

Unless the BJP/NDA repeats the old Congress hegemony for a very long period, restoring simultaneous elections across the Centre and states would require restrictions on the power of the Opposition to defeat a government in a confidence vote. (File/Express Photo: Ritesh Shukla)

Narendra Modi has secured for himself five or perhaps even ten years. He may be the first to equal Nehru’s record by winning three elections in succession. But, he is a man in a hurry. This is why One Nation One Poll (ONOP) has been taken up at an early stage in the Modi 2.0 era.