On One Nation One Election, Naveen Patnaik's BJD Asks For Fine Print

Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal, once a supporter of 'One Nation One Election," has tweaked its stand on the issue. Though not so strident, its current concerns on the matter echoes that of the Opposition block. The party is questioning the "fine print" of the proposal of the Kovind Committee that has been adopted by the Union cabinet and suggesting that the matter not be rushed like the farm laws.

The BJD, once known for providing issue-based support to the BJP, was routed by the national party in the assembly election held earlier this year.  Shortly after that, Naveen Patnaik, who was Chief Minister of Odisha for over two decades, made it clear that the BJD now means business, saying "no more support to BJP, only opposition".

In an exclusive interview with news agency ANI, BJD MP Sasmit Patra, who is also spokesman admitted a change in their stand. "The Biju Janata Dal had initially supported the idea of 'One Nation One election," he said.

"But I'm a little concerned about how the Government of India is looking at this entire 'One Nation One election'. What is the fine print? It has not been made public so far," he said.

This, he added, opens up a huge grey area in the "One nation one election" plan, which envisages  simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, and local bodies polls shortly after  . 

"No one knows what happens if there is a hung assembly or there is an early dissolution of the assembly or the parliament... What happens if tomorrow there is a constitutional crisis...  What happens if there is a demand for an early dissolution that comes in through a vote of no confidence?" he said. 

The government, he said, has to respond to the unanswered questions. 

"As I hear from the media reports that they're going to probably table it in the Parliament. I would suggest let it go through legislative scrutiny. Don't rush it like you rush the farm laws. Once you rush something like the farm laws, it will be replete with many problems later on,' he said.

His final suggestion - "Let's have a wider consultation not only with the political parties but across all the stakeholders of civil society".

The Opposition has contended that the "One nation one election" plan is not only anti-democratic and unconstitutional, it is also impractical. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has called it "an attempt to divert the attention of the public". 

Implementing the "One nation one election" plan would involve at least six bills to amend the Constitution and the government would require two-third majority in parliament. While the NDA has a simple majority in both houses of parliament, getting two-thirds majority in either house could prove a challenge.

Of the 245 seats in Rajya Sabha, the NDA has 112, the Opposition parties 85. For a two-thirds majority, the government needs at least 164 votes.

Even in the Lok Sabha, the NDA has 292 of 545 seats. The two-thirds majority mark stands at 364.  But the situation could be dynamic, since the majority would be counted only in terms of the members present and voting.

The BJD, once the BJP's friend in Rajya Sabha which helped several contentious bills pass, has opposed the BJP in multiple issues since its assembly polls defeat. 

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President's address during the inaugural session of parliament after the election, the party's nine MPs joined the Opposition's walkout over his remarks on Congress's Sonia Gandhi. 

The party now has nine MPs in  the  Rajya Sabha and none in the Lok Sabha. 

In the simultaneous Lok Sabha and state election in May-June, the BJP had won 20 of 21 Lok Sabha and 78 of 147 assembly seats of Odisha.