The contentious "one nation, one election" concept was criticized by Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, calling it "a design to subvert the basic structure of the Constitution" and establishing a framework that would permit "autocracy (in) a democratic garb to enter the national public arena." Ms. Banerjee declared, "I am against autocracy and, hence, am against your design."
"You seem to be conveying some sort of a unilateral top-down 'decision' already taken by the central government - to impose a structure that is against the spirit of a truly democratic and federal (nation)" sarcastically stated by the chief of the Trinamool Congress, who has been a fierce critic of the Narendra Modi government for allegedly subverting the nation's federal structure.
She expressed her "basic conceptual difficulties with the principle" and "difficulties with your methodological approach" in a lengthy letter to Dr. Niten Chandra, the Secretary of a high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, requesting suggestions for putting the idea into practice.
"The constitutional and structural implication of the term 'one nation'" and, more importantly, the timing of legislative and Assembly elections, especially when there is a substantial gap in the current poll cycles, were the two conceptual difficulties she brought up.
"The first general election was held concurrently for the states and the center in 1952. Such simultaneity existed for a while, but it has since broken down."
Ms Banerjee also pointed out potential ruptures in the 'one nation, one election' idea if either the Lok Sabha or a state Assembly "is subject to untimely dissolution", and warned, "Instability of a government at the centre should not destabilise state legislatures..."
"It is not clear how this basic issue of introduction of coevality is going to be addressed by your esteemed committee," Ms Banerjee wrote, and also raised several "minor" objections, including "preparation of common electoral rolls". She also criticised the committee for failing to include chief ministers.
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