'एक देश एक चुनाव' को पूर्व राष्ट्रपति रामनाथ कोविंद के नेतृत्व वाली कमेटी ने दी मंजूरी

'One Country One Election' approved by the committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind

The discussion of 'One Country One Election' has started once again in the country. A committee was formed under the leadership of former President Ram Nath Kovind regarding this, whose report has now been approved. After the approval of the Union Cabinet, the government can present the proposal in the House in the upcoming winter session. The Kovind Committee had also submitted its report to the President at the beginning of the year. This 18,626-page report prepared in 191 days says that from 2029, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections should be held simultaneously in the first phase in the country. After this, local body elections can be held in the second phase within 100 days. The Kovind Committee also said that simultaneous elections have been held between 1951 and 1967. After independence, elections were held for the first time in the country in 1951-52. Then along with the Lok Sabha, the assembly elections of all the states were also held. Subsequently, simultaneous elections were held for Lok Sabha and state assemblies in 1957, 1962 and 1967. This trend was broken after 1968-69, as some assemblies were dissolved due to various reasons.

According to the Kovind Committee report, the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed in 1953 by carving out areas of Madras. At that time it had an assembly of 190 seats. The first state assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh were held in February 1955. The second general elections were held in 1957. In 1957, the term of seven state assemblies (Bihar, Bombay, Madras, Mysore, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) did not end with the term of the Lok Sabha. All state assemblies were dissolved so that simultaneous elections could be held. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 was passed in 1956. The second general election was held a year later in 1957.

According to the Kovind Committee report, the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed in 1953 by carving out areas from Madras. At that time it had a 190-seat assembly. The first state assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh were held in February 1955. The second general elections were held in 1957. In 1957, the term of seven state assemblies (Bihar, Bombay, Madras, Mysore, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) did not end with the term of the Lok Sabha. All the state assemblies were dissolved so that simultaneous elections could be held. The State Reorganisation Act, 1956 was passed in 1956. The second general election was held a year later in 1957.

From 1951 to 1967, simultaneous elections were held. There is an interesting story behind the first time Lok Sabha elections were held separately. It was 1971. Indira Gandhi's government was at the centre. Indira had rebelled against her own party and split the Congress into two. There were 14 months left for the elections. Indira's new party Congress (R) wanted to get a fresh majority and implement its progressive reforms. Reforms which Indira had not been able to implement till now because of the old guards of Congress. For this, Indira and her party decided to go for early elections.

With this, it was decided that the Lok Sabha elections would not be held along with the state assembly elections. Guha writes in the book 'India After Nehru' that by holding the general elections before time, the Prime Minister had cleverly distanced himself from the assembly elections. Guha writes that in the event of both the elections being held together, the feelings of caste and racialism would affect the national issues. Congress had suffered a lot due to this in the 1967 elections. Especially in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra and Odisha, local issues had a great impact. This time Indira decided that by holding the general elections first, she would separate both these issues and would directly seek support from the public on the basis of national issues.

On the other hand, Congress (O), formed by a faction of senior Congress leaders, formed a grand alliance against Indira along with Jan Sangh, Swatantra Party, Samajwadi and regional parties. This grand alliance campaigned against Indira. During this time, the slogan Indira Hatao was coined by the opposition. Indira's Congress turned this slogan in its favour. In response to the opposition's slogan, Indira said that they say Indira Hatao, we say Garibi Hatao. Congress's slogan of 'Garibi Hatao' became popular among the people.

Through the slogan of 'Garibi Hatao', Congress called itself progressive while the opposition was called a coalition of reactionary forces. By making the election person-centric, the opposition suffered losses instead of benefits. On the other hand, Indira took the command of the election campaign of the ruling party completely in her hands. From the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in December 1970 till the election, Indira travelled more than 58 thousand km in 10 weeks. During this time, she addressed more than 300 election rallies. About two crore people listened to her speech. Indira's election campaign and her political situation were compared to the election campaign and political situation of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1952.

In her speeches, Indira Gandhi openly presented the difference between her new party and the old party to the public. In these speeches, Indira gave the message that the 'old Congress' was a puppet in the hands of conservatives and vested interests, while the 'new Congress' was dedicated to the interests of the poor. The organizational weakness of Indira's new party was overcome by the enthusiasm of young workers, who traveled throughout the country and spread the message of their leader. On the day of voting, huge crowds gathered at the polling booths.