SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONS AND INDIAN DEMOCRACY: A HANGING FRUIT REQUIRING SAFER HANDS TO PLUCK IT

A sound electoral system in general and free and fair elections in particular are the lifeline of modern democratic states .The Indian democratic system even though sustained from last 68 years is not properly working and the common man feels that the main problem lies in the electoral system among other problems.post independent India as a whole has gone for elections first time in 1951-52 for electing members of Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. It was really a mammoth (like 8th wonder of world) exercise to conduct elections in a newly born democracy loaded with universal adult franchise much against the precedence set by other liberal democracies like USA , UK etc .The exercise of simultaneous elections continued up to 1967 with exceptions like Kerala and Orissa .The cycle of five years was however disrupted when the union govt under the provisions of so called “safety valve” provision of Art 356 dissolved the legislative assemblies in 1968-69.In global electoral politics, the concept of simultaneous elections has emerged as the best possible alternative to the current framework of frequent election.