Ghulam Nabi Azad Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party Azad (DPA). File. | Photo credit: NISSAR AHMAD
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Monday (9 March 2026) that One Nation, One Election (ONOE) could act as a “natural deterrent” to defections among elected representatives, arguing that greater political stability would be one of its most significant democratic dividends.
On Monday (March 9, 2026), he spoke to a joint parliamentary committee examining the legislation on simultaneous elections. On 26 August 2022, ending his five-decade association with the Congress, Mr Azad resigned from all party posts including primary membership.
Mr Azad, according to sources, noted that repeated election cycles often create “political vulnerability”, allowing for opportunistic shifts in allegiance. Simultaneous elections, he argued, would bring coherence to political terms, reducing incentives to defect and strengthening the mandate of voters. “Democracy can only deepen if the verdict of the people remains intact throughout the election period,” he noted.
Calling simultaneous polls a “win-win scenario”, Mr Azad said the proposed shift to simultaneous polls was a key step towards accelerated development and more effective nation-building. With elections currently scattered over an arbitrary five-year period, he pointed out, a huge amount of the nation’s time is taken up by long campaigns that distract leadership from governing.
Mr. Azad emphasized that simultaneous elections are not alien to India’s constitutional ethos. “The framers of the constitution presided over an era where elections to the House and Assembly were held jointly. This model does not dilute either India’s democratic essence or its federal character,” he said.
In his interaction with the committee members, the former chief minister also claimed that ONOE will offer strategic advantages to the opposition parties by shifting the leadership of the campaign to regional personalities who are directly connected to the electorate. “Instead of heavy reliance on Union ministers, elections will be managed by national leaders who understand local issues best,” he said.
He further described ONOE as a “masterstroke” that would dramatically reduce election expenses for governments, parties and candidates. A reduced number of election cycles, he said, would also ease the burden on the administrative apparatus and security personnel — groups that often face severe fatigue from constant electoral deployments.
Mr Azad dismissed fears of problems in rolling out simultaneous polls, arguing that the benefits far outweighed the logistical difficulties. “There are no negatives – only positives,” he said, adding that the transition offers a tremendously advantageous trajectory for India in the coming decades.
Published – 9 March 2026 21:39 IST
