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The Indian cabinet on Thursday cleared legislation to conduct national and state elections simultaneously, according to people familiar with the decision.
The cabinet approval is the first of many steps needed before the actual implementation of the plan. The Indian government will now need to introduce the legislation in the parliament, which has barely functioned in this session due to constant protests. It is expected to be tabled in the ongoing winter session, said officials who requested anonymity as the discussions are private. A government spokesperson declined to comment.
The ‘One Nation One Election’ plan, which is favored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been under discussion and review for more than a year now. In September, the cabinet had accepted the recommendation of a government-appointed committee on simultaneous polls.
Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have long advocated for concurrent polls to cut costs and improve efficiency. State elections are non-concurrent as of now, with few polls scheduled almost every year.
If the legislation was to be cleared and implemented, it would entail adjusting the terms of ongoing state assemblies. The opposition has staunchly opposed the proposal, arguing that simultaneous elections would blur national and grassroots concerns. According to analysts, it would also give an unreasonable advantage to the party governing at the federal level in state elections.
Modi’s party is weaker in its third term, after it lost its decade-old majority in June. The BJP is now dependent on its regional partners to run the government.
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