The main argument being advanced in favour of simultaneous elections is that they will reduce the expenditure on elections for the exchequer, political parties and candidates, and limit the disruptions in governance. But democracy does not come cheap. Moreover, the bigger concern, and object of reform, must be the untold sums of money that political parties collect and spend to win elections, whether held simultaneously or at different times. It seeks merely to hoodwink the public.
The government has said that it wants to create a consensus on ONOE, but it is not sincere about it. Opposition parties have made clear their concerns, including to the Kovind committee itself.
Yet, the committee made its pre-determined recommendations, and the government accepted them. India’s political system is worked by its political parties, and if a large number of them do not want a ONOE system, it cannot happen. It is also unlikely that the government will be able to get the required constitutional amendments passed in the present scenario.