THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 20 JUNE 2019 (Simultaneous polls are needed to address distortions in the electoral system (Indian Express))

Simultaneous polls are needed to address distortions in the electoral system (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 2 : Polity
Prelims level : One Nation One Election
Mains level : Election reforms

Context

• The renewed pitch for “One Nation One Election” if understood in terms of process improvement, or reforms, makes eminent sense.

What are the distortions that have crept in due to the year-round election cycle?

• The Rajya Sabha has simply stopped reflecting the current will of the people.
• No, this is not an argument to assert that Rajya Sabha should reflect the reality of the Lok Sabha mandate.
• But is it anybody’s case that the Rajya Sabha members should not reflect the current will of their respective state’s mandate?
• The assembly elections two years either side of Parliamentary elections, in states ruled by a different party than that at the Centre, have led to an almost continuous confrontationist attitude, severely compromising federal cooperation and governance delivery.
• Although governments are nominally elected for five years, the frequent imposition of the Model Code suspends decision making and implementation every few months.
• This has squeezed out space for ideas that may be vital but have no immediate electoral salience.
• The competitive nature of electoral democracy inevitably means choosing to make the easiest promise. Routed in the general elections and fearing similar result six months later, who would want to invest time in arduous efforts to effect real, long-term changes?
• The ubiquitous nature of social media has meant that almost everybody is now not just an informed political animal but a participating political animal. Once you have taken a position on a political issue, then the very nature of the beast will compel you to keep on participating with your political lens.

Conclusion

• There have been various models proposed for implementing the idea of simultaneous elections.
• They will surely be debated and a plausible method to reconcile the practicalities be evolved. It took us about a decade to agree to GST.
• It was a one-time adjustment at the national and state level and we have already started seeing the benefits of this structural change.
• “One Nation One Election” is also about one-time structural change.
• First align various cycles and then evolve a structure, by consensus, which can serve us for the decades to come. It is an idea whose time has come.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With respect to “herbicide-tolerant variety of Bt Cotton”, consider the following statements:
1. This variety (HtBt) involves the addition of another gene, ‘Cp4-Epsps’ from another soil bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
2. Recently, it is cleared by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. None

Answer: A
Mains Questions:
Q.1) What are the distortions that have crept in due to the year-round election cycle?