GS Paper II — Q1
Examine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees with particular reference to "one nation – one…
Examine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees with particular reference to "one nation – one election" principle. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
विभिन्न समितियों द्वारा सुझाए गए, एवं "एक राष्ट्र – एक चुनाव" के विशिष्ट संदर्भ में, चुनाव सुधारों की आवश्यकता का परीक्षण करें। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में लिखिए)
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
Electoral reform committees—Law Commission (170th and 255th Reports), Election Commission, NITI Aayog’s New India @75 strategy, and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice (79th Report)—recommended de-criminalisation, state funding, stronger Election Commission powers and simultaneous elections. The Ram Nath Kovind High-Level Committee (2024) proposed a two-step roadmap—Lok Sabha and assemblies together, then local bodies within 100 days—and the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, inserting Article 82A, remains before a Joint Parliamentary Committee, whose term was extended in July 2026 to the Winter Session. One-nation-one-election’s rationale is real: it can cut repeated spending (the 2019 general election cost an estimated ₹60,000 crore), improve administrative efficiency, reduce Model Code of Conduct disruptions and ensure policy continuity. Yet feasibility is doubtful. It needs amendments to Articles 83, 172 and related provisions by special majority (state ratification only for syncing local bodies); dissolution of assemblies, fixed tenures, federalism and regional-party disadvantage remain unresolved. The logistics—a large additional stock of EVMs and VVPATs, security forces and long lead times—show the scale. Simultaneous polls may nationalise local issues and weaken accountability. Hence ONOE is desirable but not immediately viable; it requires political consensus, phased implementation and robust legal safeguards within a federal constitutional framework.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS2 - Polity & Governance (Electoral Reforms)
What earns full marks: Cites specific committees (2nd ARC/LC) and provides a reasoned, balanced judgment on the 'one nation-one election' principle.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Examine the need for electoral reforms recommended by various committees, with particular reference to 'one nation – one election'. 10 marks · 150 words
examine— intro → how/why with reasoning → evidence → conclusion
Must cover
- Committee recommendations: Law Commission (170th, 255th reports; 2018 draft on simultaneous polls), Dinesh Goswami and Indrajit Gupta (funding), Parliamentary Standing Committee (79th report), EC proposals on decriminalisation, disclosure, paid news
- Case for ONOE: cost savings, less disruption from the Model Code of Conduct, governance continuity, voter fatigue; Kovind Committee (2024) two-step roadmap and the 129th Amendment Bill, 2024 (Article 82A) before a JPC
- Concerns: federalism and premature dissolution, amendments to Articles 83, 172 and 356, logistics of EVMs/VVPATs and security, possible nationalisation of local issues and advantage to national parties
- Balanced conclusion: phased, consensus-based approach alongside other reforms (criminalisation, funding transparency, EC independence)
Loses marks
- Presenting ONOE as already law
- Ignoring other electoral reforms asked for
Earns more
- Status: JPC term extended in July 2026 to the Winter Session
- 1951–67 history of simultaneous polls
Extra mark
- International examples (South Africa, Sweden)
What "Examine" is asking you to do
Test the proposition the question puts to you and return a finding on how far it holds. Examine stems carry a claim, or ask whether something has happened, and expect evidence weighed both ways before the extent is stated — often with remedial measures attached.
Structure that answers it
Restate the claim as the question frames it → evidence that supports it → evidence that undercuts it → the conditions under which it holds → verdict on how far it stands
Where marks are lost
Stopping at description. An examination has to reach a finding, and “examine with justification” means the extent must be stated, not implied.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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