Topic 1 : Let’s get back in sync
Introduction: India, the world’s largest democracy, will soon have its 18th Lok Sabha elections. At the same time, the talk of simultaneous elections is going on. On March 14, the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, constituted by the Government of India to examine the legality, efficacy and modality of the simultaneous elections, submitted its report to the President of India.
The elections in India
- As per the recent data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), over 96.88 crore electors were registered across the country at the conclusion of the last special summary revision.
- It is a fact that elections to the Lok Sabha as well as state legislative assemblies were being held together from 1952 till 1967.
- The disruption in this synchronised cycle happened primarily because using Article 356 of the Constitution, state governments were frequently dismissed.
- Little action was taken by the government of the day to arrest this desynchronization.
- The era of toppling state governments continued roughly till the year 1994 when the Supreme Court gave its landmark judgment of S R Bommai vs. Union of India, which curtailed the arbitrary use of Article 356 and consequently reinforced stability and adherence to constitutional norms.
- However, the ruling party at the Centre did not make any effort to reharmonize the election cycle.
Benefits of holding simultaneous elections
- There are many benefits of holding simultaneous elections: Colossal savings on avoidable administrative expenditure; optimum use of manpower, including election officials as well as security personnel; less disruption to public life; long-term focus on governance and reduced obstruction to developmental programmes.
- Political leaders will then be able to focus on governance rather than electioneering, which in turn would increase their accountability to the public.
Simultaneous elections will not diminish the local issues to national issues
- One of the major arguments against simultaneous elections is that the lines between a voter’s national and local interests may get diminished, and thus, have a negative impact on the electoral contest.
- However, there are already many examples from the past few election cycles which prove otherwise.
- For instance, in the simultaneous elections held for Odisha in 2019, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won 112 out of 147 seats (44.7 per cent vote share) followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 23 seats (32.4 per cent vote share).
- At the same time, with respect to the Lok Sabha election performance, the BJD won 12 out of 21 seats (42.8 per cent vote share) with the BJP winning 8 seats (38.4 per cent vote share).
- Similarly, in the NCT of Delhi (where assembly elections are held seven-eight months after Lok Sabha elections), people have voted for different parties at the state and national levels, if the results of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, 2015 assembly elections, 2019 Lok Sabha elections and 2020 assembly polls are considered.
- This shows that voters in a mature democracy such as ours can weigh their national and local interests and vote accordingly, even if elections to different tiers of government are held together.
How simultaneous elections can be operationalized?
- The operationalisation of simultaneous elections can be done in phases.
- This will include a one-time curtailment of tenure for some state legislative assemblies, where the term may be ending closer to the date of the previous Lok Sabha election, whereas the tenure of some state legislative assemblies will have to be extended beyond their term of five years.
- Further, once the election cycle is harmonised, the only way of maintaining the synchronised system would be to hold elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies at the same time, irrespective of any premature dissolution of the House.
- Any possible election and constitution of a new House, in case of premature dissolution, should only be for “remainder of the term” and not for a fixed term of five years.
- Such a concept is not alien to our legal framework since any by-election to Parliament and state legislative assembly is only done to fill the vacancy for the “remainder of the term”.
Concerns about holding local body elections with others
- There have also been discussions on combining the conduct of local body elections like panchayats and municipalities with parliamentary and state elections.
- This may not be pragmatic as local body elections are held in different states under their own respective laws.
- The sheer number of local bodies in our country will also pose a challenge.
- Another crucial aspect is that in the constitutional scheme of things, the responsibility of holding elections to Parliament and the state assemblies is with the ECI, whereas the responsibility for conducting local bodies elections is with the respective state election commissions.
Conclusion: The breaking up of the election cycle after 1967 was largely the result of undemocratic processes when the party ruling at the Centre arbitrarily and excessively used Article 356 of the Constitution to topple democratically elected governments. Simultaneous elections will force political leaders to shift focus from constant electioneering to long-term governance.
Topic 2 : The water warning
Introduction: Karnataka’s worst drought in four decades is now taking a toll on its capital. Bengaluru is reeling under a severe water shortage. The city needs 2,600-2,800 million litres a day for its nearly 14 million residents. It’s barely managing half the amount. Nearly 7,000 of the city’s more than 13,000 borewells have dried up.
How the situation did become grim in Bengaluru?
- Till about 30 years ago, a large percentage of Bengaluru’s potable water requirement was met by the city’s human-made lakes.
- Unlike many major cities of the country, Karnataka’s capital is not located close to a major river or coast.
- As the city expanded to become the country’s IT capital, it lost its water repositories.
- Developers cut down green hubs and lake catchments became dumping yards for municipal solid waste or building debris.
- Concretisation made groundwater recharge difficult.
- But successive governments did not heed the several alarm bells, including by the Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute in the city.
- In 2017, a two-year-long study by the institute revealed that 85 per cent of Bengaluru’s remaining water bodies were severely polluted.
- At the same time, the water supply infrastructure has not kept pace with the rapid urbanisation.
How the authority is dealing with the water crisis in Bengaluru?
- The crisis has reportedly affected schools, hospitals, industries and even the city’s IT hub.
- Bengaluru authorities have imposed strict curbs to prevent the misuse of potable water and fixed rates for tankers supplying water to residential areas.
- The state government has decided to utilise milk tankers of Karnataka Milk Federation to supply water and take over private bore wells in and around the city.
- It will need to do much more because experts fear that the situation could worsen in the coming weeks.
How major part of India is staring a similar situation to Bengaluru?
- The problems of Karnataka’s capital should be a warning for most major cities in the country.
- Such warnings have also been served by studies, including the Niti Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index (CWMI).
- The 2018 study by the government think-tank forecast that 21 cities, including Bengaluru, will run out of groundwater by 2030.
- “If mitigation measures are not implemented, India faces a 6 per cent loss in its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2050,” the CWMI said.
- Several other studies have pointed out that the pace of groundwater use in India far exceeds that of aquifer recharge.
- However, like Bengaluru, most Indian urban centres continue to neglect water management.
- The governance deficit at the municipal level in India means that solutions such as rainwater harvesting, reviving water bodies and cleaning and reusing wastewater remain on paper.
How Indian cities can mitigate the upcoming water scarcity?
- Supply Management:
- Reduce leakage: Repairing leaky pipes throughout the distribution network is crucial. This can significantly decrease the amount of water lost before it reaches homes.
- Explore alternative sources: Rainwater harvesting, treated wastewater reuse, and desalination (in coastal cities) can all provide additional water supplies.
- Shift to sustainable agriculture: Encouraging water-efficient practices like drip irrigation in peri-urban areas can significantly reduce agricultural water demand.
- Demand Management:
- Public awareness campaigns: Educating citizens about water conservation measures like taking shorter showers and fixing leaky taps can make a big difference.
- Pricing reforms: Implementing tiered water tariffs where higher water usage costs more can incentivize conservation.
- Promoting water-saving technologies: Offering rebates or subsidies for low-flow showerheads and faucets can encourage residents to adopt water-saving practices.
- Improved Governance:
- Water metering: Installing water meters allows for fairer water billing and helps identify areas with high consumption.
- Strengthening institutions: Professionalizing water management institutions and fostering better coordination between different stakeholders is essential for effective water governance.
Conclusion: The crisis in Karnataka’s capital should be a wake-up call. Other Indian cities must learn lessons from it.