DMK Organisational Secretary TKS Elangovan on Tuesday criticised the central government’s proposal of “One Nation One Election”, claiming it is unconstitutional and will strip states of their powers. Elangovan argued that the initiative goes against the federal structure outlined in the Constitution.

“As per ‘One Nation One Election’, all elections will be conducted along with the Parliament election. The Constitution says that the term for a state government is five years. How can they reduce it?” questioned TKS Elangovan.

Responding to the Centre’s justification that ‘One Nation One Election’ would reduce expenses and manpower associated with frequent elections, Elangovan said, “Elections are the backbone of democracy.” He cited past instances of unstable governments to highlight the impracticality of the proposal.

“In 1996, there was a Parliamentary election, and Devegowda was the Prime Minister. But within two years, the government was toppled. In 1998, there was another election where Vajpayee came to power, but Jayalalithaa pulled the government down. In 1999, there was a third Parliamentary election. Between 1996 and 1999, there were three Parliamentary elections. Will this government dissolve all the state assemblies and conduct elections? Even now, if Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar withdraw support, this government will fall. Will they dissolve all assemblies, including the recently elected Maharashtra and Jharkhand assemblies, and conduct elections? Is that not a waste of manpower and money?” Elangovan questioned.

He further alleged that the real intent behind the “One Nation One Election” proposal is to dissolve state assemblies and centralise power through governors. “The aim is to weaken state governments and rule through governors,” he claimed, expressing strong opposition to the bill.

Recently, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin strongly criticised the BJP-led Union government’s push for a “One Nation, One Election” policy, calling it an anti-federal move that threatens India’s democracy and diversity.

Calling for a united front against the proposal, Stalin urged democratic forces to oppose the policy and safeguard India’s Constitution. “All the democratic forces must unite & fight tooth and nail against this abomination imposed in the garb of electoral reform, to save India, its diversity and the Constitution,” he said.

Stalin was amongst the first to criticise the move, calling the bill “draconian”. “This impractical and anti-democratic move will erase regional voices, erode federalism, and disrupt governance.