"Not in accordance with parliamentary democracy:" Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on One Nation One Election

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 15 (ANI): Congress MP Karti Chidambaram criticised the system of "One Nation, One Election" on Wednesday. The proposal, often referred to as simultaneous elections, aims to hold Lok Sabha, State Assembly, and local body polls at the same time across the country.
Speaking to ANI, Chidambaram said that One Nation One Election is not in accordance with parliamentary democracy, as it effectively mandates a fixed-term government, which is found only in presidential systems.
The Congress MP further believes that the conduct of two or three state elections annually is a good idea, as it allows people to express their views and keeps political parties on their toes.
"...One nation, one election almost mandates a fixed-term government that is not in accordance with parliamentary democracy, which is only in a presidential form of government, and I also believe that having two or three state elections per year is a good idea because it allows people to express their views and also keeps political parties on their toes. Otherwise, if elections are held only once every five years, I think political parties will not be held really accountable. Having three or four assembly elections per year keeps the political parties attuned to the people and also allows the people to express their displeasure or endorsement to particular political parties or governments..." said Chidambaram.
This statement comes in the wake of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on "One Nation, One Election" (ONOE), which aimed to explore the economic implications of the proposed electoral reform.
The meeting in December 2025, as part of the panel's ongoing review of the major electoral reform proposal, was joined by two distinguished economists: Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), and Gita Gopinath, the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Earlier on December 11, Senior Advocate and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal presented his views to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on 'One Nation One Election' and is learnt to emphasised that rights of states should be given due prominence.
The JPC is currently reviewing the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024. These Bills, introduced on December 17, 2024, in the Lok Sabha and sent to the JPC for further scrutiny, collectively aim to introduce simultaneous elections across the country. (ANI)