Yogi reiterates ‘One Nation, One Election’ demand for political stability

LUCKNOW Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday strongly pitched for implementing the ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) model, asserting that repeated elections not only placed an unnecessary burden on citizens, but also fuelled political instability, obstructed development, and promoted corruption.

“Frequent elections hamper the country’s growth and discourage people’s attraction to the democratic process. Political instability cannot contribute to making India a sovereign and developed nation,” he said addressing a state-level conference with representatives of social and voluntary organisations at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, first announced during the unveiling of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel statue in 2019, Adityanath said implementing simultaneous elections was essential to ensure good governance and efficient use of resources. “This was also the vision of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who considered political stability the first condition for governance, security and development,” he added.

The CM noted that simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections were the norm between 1952 and 1967. However, the trend ended due to internal splits in the Congress, leading to frequent imposition of President’s Rule and unstable governments.

“The idea resurfaced in the 1980s but failed to gain ground. Now, under the leadership of former President Ram Nath Kovind, a committee has laid the road map to implement it by 2034,” he said.

The CM highlighted that synchronising assembly tenures could save the country an estimated ₹3.5 to ₹4.5 lakh crore annually — funds that could be channelled into development.

Attacking the opposition, Adityanath recalled the pre-2017 situation in UP, where “parallel governments” ran the show in every district, flouting laws and looting resources. “That era of mafia rule dragged UP down to the seventh position in the national economy. In 1947, we were at par with the national average. Mafia raj and hooliganism disrupted development and created a crisis of identity,” he said.

The CM compared the current scenario with the pre-2014 national political environment, claiming India then also suffered from instability. “But today, India is the fifth-largest economy, and UP is progressing steadily for the last eight years — a result of political stability.”

Urging citizens to raise awareness in favour of ‘One Nation, One Election’, the CM said, “This is our country, our development, and our need for political stability. We must promote this message through social media and public discourse.”

Presiding over the programme, former governor Kalraj Mishra said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the resolve for ‘One Nation, One Election’ in 2014 to strengthen national unity and integrity. It is essential for corruption-free governance and vision of a developed India by 2047.”

Anup Gupta, MLC and state co-convenor of the campaign, informed that social organisations had launched 57 types of awareness programmes, including debates, essay competitions, seminars, and street meetings. These will be followed by resolutions addressed to the President of India, he added.