Does PM Modi Have The Numbers to Push One Nation, One Election Forward? Arnab Asks Salve | Exclusive

New Delhi: Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India and King's Counsel, UK, Harish Salve confidently asserted “after all the noise and dust is settled, good sense does prevail with human beings.” Speaking to Republic Media Network’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on  'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) Salve said that the government has the numbers and the willpower to push the ambitious reform through.

When asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the political backing to implement ONOE, Salve responded with unwavering confidence. "The government has the numbers to pull this through," he said.

"People like us may be called incorrigible optimists, but we believe that after all the noise and dust is settled, good sense will prevail. This is something that requires a national debate, and once that debate takes place, the country will come to understand its merits,” he added.

Salve further suggested that, over time, the debate around ONOE could shift public perception. "Maybe after three years, this becomes an electoral issue," he said, "and if the government can persuade the people of this country that this is good for the nation, you will see the tune changing."

Salve said, "The only argument I've heard," he said, "is that if you have separate elections for the states, the Modi factor goes away, or local leaders can focus on their own elections without worrying about the bigger picture at the national level. But this is not a valid argument."

For Salve, the focus remains on the larger picture—the need to improve governance, reduce the burden on resources, and create a more unified political structure. 

While responding to Arnab Goswami's question on how ‘One Nation, One Election’, will impact the nation's electoral process, the former Solicitor General of India, drew an example from the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections, and said, “Let's just talk about elections in Maharashtra. Not a single senior member of the Cabinet missed, I mean people who matter missed being. In Maharashtra, how many days of work of ministries of functions of vital importance was taken away.”

“Similarly senior members of the Parliament of the opposition parties were busy campaigning when maybe they could have been in Parliament of their own constituencies. So it has an impact on GDP, plus you have the Model Code which comes into play, decisions are not announced and then you have this competitive, liberalism of freebie culture. Every time there's an election, there are more and more freebies,” Salve said.  

The Senior Supreme Court advocate, while explaining the economical impact, in context with the frequent elections, further added, “There are so many different dimensions, if you have one good consolidated election. It's a very myopic view to say, it's only 5,000 crores or 10,000 crores, that's the cost of the election. But believe me, when you go into the analysis, it's the least relevant factor.”

“The amount of deployment of civil servants in the election exercise, so many things get stuck up because some senior officers have been deployed somewhere. Now, if you calculate the effect of all this disruption on the gross domestic product, we have an econometric model done, it makes a difference of 1%.” Now, 1% of India's GDP is a massive figure. So this is the good sense behind the decision to say,” Salve emphasized.  

Union Cabinet Approved Simultaneous Elections Bill

On Thursday, the Union Cabinet approved the much-anticipated 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) bill during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi . Now, after the nod from the Union Cabinet, the bill is likely to be tabled in the Parliament during the ongoing Winter Session. The step marks a significant move by the BJP -led central government towards implementing simultaneous elections for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

The government has reiterated that with elections held separately for the central and state governments, the country faces multiple rounds of elections each year, consuming significant resources, money and time. However, after the electoral processes are streamlined, it will reduce the financial burden, and enhance governance.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reportedly issued a three-line whip to all its MPs, asking them to be present in the House on December 13 and 14 for discussions on some important legislative issues. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Wednesday, made a strong pitch for ‘one nation, one election’, and contended that frequent polls were creating hurdles in the nation’s progress.

What is ‘One Nation, One Election’

The ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill, is a significant step towards synchronising elections in the country. The idea focuses on holding simultaneous elections for both the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies across the nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong proponent of this concept for a long time. At present, elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies are held separately, either after the completion of a five-year term or when a government is dissolved for various reasons.

The decision is based on recommendations made by a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind. The committee was incepted on September 2 last year. The committee, which played a crucial role in crafting the report, also included eminent members such as Union Home Minister Amit Shah , Ghulam Nabi Azad, Harish Salve, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and others.

Notably, in September 2024, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for ‘One Nation, One Election’, paving the way for tabling the bill in the Parliament. The Cabinet accepted the report submitted by the panel headed by Ram Nath Kovind.

In March 2024, the committee under the former President submitted a comprehensive 18,626-page report to President Droupadi Murmu , culminating 191 days of continuous consultations, expert opinions, and research since the formation of the panel.

Pertinently, simultaneous elections were the norm in India until 1967. The ONOE proposal aims to bring back this practice, reducing election-related costs, improving administrative efficiency, and minimising the frequency of election-related disruptions.