Karnataka Assembly takes stance against ‘One Nation, One Election’

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution against the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, calling it a “threat” to India’s democratic and federal setup.

The BJP, however, opposed the resolution and said its adoption was not unanimous.

Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil read out the resolution after which Speaker U T Khader declared it as adopted amid protests by the BJP.

“Different state legislatures have their own terms of office, and a uniform election schedule can undermine the states' autonomy by focusing too much on national issues, neglecting local concerns. Ensuring adequate security, managing election staff, dejection among voters, reduced government accountability and economic and social constraints are serious concerns associated with simultaneous elections,” the resolution stated.

Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka objected to the resolution. “This is not a unanimous resolution,” he said, adding that a committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind has submitted its report on ‘One Nation, One Election’.

“Election costs are huge. And, during elections, development takes a backseat. Spending two months each for Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body polls will hit development. Taxpayers’ money gets wasted unnecessarily. With ‘One Nation, One Election’, the country’s money will be saved,” Ashoka argued.

Resolution on delimitation

The Assembly adopted one more resolution urging the union government to consider the 1971 Census while carrying out delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies.

“This House needs to adopt this resolution to protect the people of Karnataka and South India, and to ensure we get the right recognition in democracy,” Patil said.

The resolution asked the union government not to carry out delimitation of constituencies on the basis of Census conducted in 2026 or after. “While increasing the number of seats based on population, it should take into account the 1971 Census to decide the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies in a state,” the resolution stated.

Karnataka is worried that delimitation based on a new Census would reduce the number of seats in South India from 129 to 103.

Ashoka urged Khader to allow a debate on this resolution. “We won’t oppose this. We too don’t want Karnataka to face injustice and suffer a reduction in seats. Discuss this separately. Call a special session,” he said.