DIGITAL DEMOCRACY OR DIGITAL SURVEILLANCE? EXAMINING ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION AND A NATIONAL VOTER DATABASE IN INDIA

AUTHOR – ADV. HARSHA S. DUBEY, LL.M FINAL YEAR IN DES’S SHRI NAVALMAL FIRODIA LAW COLLEGE, PUNE UNIVERSITY

BEST CITATION – ADV. HARSHA S. DUBEY, DIGITAL DEMOCRACY OR DIGITAL SURVEILLANCE? EXAMINING ONE NATION, ONE ELECTION AND A NATIONAL VOTER DATABASE IN INDIA, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (2) OF 2026, PG. 739-747, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344. DOI – https://doi.org/10.65393/IIQT8867

ABSTRACT

As democratic governance increasingly relies on digital infrastructure, the boundary between efficient administration and intrusive surveillance becomes increasingly complex. India’s proposals for One Nation, One Election (ONOE) and the creation of a National Voter Database represent ambitious attempts to modernize the electoral system through synchronization and digitization. These reforms aim to conduct simultaneous elections for the national and state legislatures while consolidating voter information into a unified digital database. Proponents argue that such measures could significantly reduce the financial and administrative burden of conducting frequent elections, improve electoral roll accuracy, and enhance governance efficiency. However, critics caution that these reforms may simultaneously create risks related to data privacy, surveillance, and the erosion of federal democratic structures. The ONOE proposal seeks to address these inefficiencies by synchronizing elections across the country, thereby minimizing election-related disruptions and enabling governments to focus on policy implementation. Similarly, the creation of a centralized voter database could streamline voter registration processes, eliminate duplicate entries, and improve electoral management through digital verification systems. If integrated with digital identity systems such as Aadhaar, the aggregation of personal data may enable large-scale monitoring of citizens’ political behavior. These concerns are particularly relevant in light of the recognition of the right to privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 by the Supreme Court of India in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017). Additionally, critics argue that simultaneous elections could weaken federalism by overshadowing regional political issues.This paper analyzes the legal, political, and technological implications of ONOE and a national voter database.

Keywords: Aadhaar Linkage, Data Protection, Digital Governance, Electoral Reforms, Federalism, Mass Surveillance, National Voter Database.