The simultaneous poll bogey

THE Law Commission’s consultations with political parties on the feasibility of holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and state elections made for some unusual allies. The BJP, the principle proponent of the idea, has been backed by the Samajwadi Party and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti — the former its principal rival in UP while the latter subscribes to an ambiguous position. The Trinamool Congress and the Left, who do not see eye to eye in West Bengal, are on the same page in opposing the concept. But when push comes to shove, the SP and TRS will turn into rivals, if only to ensure the BJP does not appropriate and profit from the arguments of lower poll expenditure and better governance.

But the Law Commission’s draft working paper on the subject outlines several difficulties that are far greater than the current political contest for public perception. At least a dozen laws need to be amended including changes to the basic structure of the Constitution that may well be a bridge too far because of the Supreme Court’s Kesavananda Bharati judgment. As proposed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee, this goal is possible in two phases: coinciding elections of half the states to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the rest with the 2024 edition.

The immediate impact of this two-phase approach will be deferring elections to Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan Assemblies and clubbing them with the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. This strategy suits the Modi government because any erosion in the BJP’s support base here — as looks likely in Rajasthan and is a possibility in the other two — could put wind in the sails of the opposition for the 2019 polls. The opposition is unlikely to pass up the chance to turn these elections into a semi-final as well as try out mini gathbandhans. This is a better strategy than risk standing up to a Modi juggernaut in 2019. Federal institutions — the Election Commission and the Law Commission — may go through the motions, but it is doubtful if other parties will permit tactical advantage to the BJP for next to nothing in return.