One Nation One Election refers to holding simultaneous elections for India’s national and state governments, streamlining the electoral process, reducing costs and promoting governance efficiency with the goal of improving overall democratic functioning .

Challenges to federalism –

• Centralisation of power is a challenge to federalism as it concentrates authority in the Centre, undermining state autonomy and threatening the balance of power in India.
• Constitutional concerns pose a challenge to federalism as implementing One Nation, One Election requires amendments to Articles 83(2) and 172, potentially altering the federal structure.
• State governments’ autonomy is challenged as One Nation, One Election could lead to centralised decision making, undermining states authority to make independent decisions and policies.

Impact on democratic values –

• Reduced electoral accountability undermines democratic values by decreasing voters ability to hold elected representatives responsible for their actions, leading to potential abuse of power.
• Language bias as seen in the One Nation, One Election consultation process undermines democratic values by excluding non Hindi and non English speakers, limiting their participation.

Overall, the idea of One Nation, One Election poses significant challenges to India’s federal structure and democratic values.