Today, December 9, 2025, the Lok Sabha holds a crucial discussion on “electoral reforms”. Central to this debate is the proposal for One Nation, One Election (ONOE). While the government frames this as a matter of administrative efficiency – citing financial savings, the prevention of “policy paralysis”, and reduced voter “fatigue” – the counter-argument suggests these are alibis rather than justifications.
Analysed through a federalist lens, the proposal appears as a project of political engineering designed to strip away the mask of “good governance” and convert the diverse, federal Union of India into a unitary monolith. The concern is that this politics aims to flatten the multi-layered Indian voter into a singular consumer of a nationalised leader’s image.
the resistance to ONOE is not about time, but about power. The proposal seems to be an attempt to bypass the states, insulate the Executive, and centralise the narrative. If passed, the republic risks transforming into a manageable corporation where voters are shareholders allowed to attend the Annual General Meeting once every five years, but barred from speaking in the interim.
by pavan Korada
11/12/2025