India’s approval of simultaneous state and federal polls sparks fears over democracy’s future

Last week, the federal cabinet endorsed a comprehensive report from a panel led by former President Ram Nath Kovind recommending synchronised polls to reduce costs and enhance governance efficiency.

Estimates of the cost of holding state elections vary from around 41.5 billion Indian rupees (US$500 million) every five years for all states combined, to about 55.5 billion Indian rupees on average. However, critics argue that any savings from the proposal would only be a fraction of states’ budgeted expenditures.