One Nation, One Election: A fixed election cycle can cut governance cost
India is the largest democracy and it also is the most election-fatigued. With nearly 968 million registered voters, elections are an extraordinary exercise in logistics and public participation. But their frequency has become a structural burden. Five to seven state assembly elections are held in a typical year, apart from municipal and panchayat polls. Governance is repeatedly pulled into campaign mode.
This was not always the case. In the early decades after Independence, Lok Sabha and state assembly elections were held together. Political instability in the 1960s, including premature dissolution of several legislatures, broke that cycle. The case for One Nation, One Election is therefore not a radical redesign. It is an attempt to recover a rhythm that India once had.