Аннотация
The idea of “One Nation One Election” (ONOE) has emerged as one of the most progressive and significant constitutional and electoral reform measures in the contemporary India. The aim of the framework is to ensure coherence of the elections to Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies, reduce election cycles and provide a common electoral calendar. They argue that simultaneous elections would help to reduce public expenditure, reduce administrative hassles in the Ministries, streamline the policy process and optimise governance. But critics say that the scheme may have a negative impact on federalism, political representation in the regions and democratic accountability. This paper examines critically the ONE approach with a socio-legal and federal perspective. The study is based on a doctrinal and analytical approach, a method that involves a detailed analysis of the constitution, the reports of the Election Commission, the reports of the Parliamentary committees, judicial decisions and scholarly works. Further, the proposed changes to the Constitution under Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and how it will affect the parliamentary democracy and the federal structure of the Constitution are discussed. The results show that although ONOE can lead to administrative and economic advantages, it raises significant constitutional problems in regards to legislative term, early dissolution of assemblies, the Basic Structure Doctrine and the autonomy of states. The study concludes that to be successful, ONOE must involve a wide range of political consensus, constitutional protection, and institutional safeguards for maintaining democratic pluralism and federal balance.