One Nation One Election Bill, Lok Sabha: 'One Nation, One Election' Bill In Lok Sabha Today, To Be Sent To Committee

One Nation, One Election: Law Minister Arjun Meghwal tabled the bill in the Lok Sabha.

New Delhi: Two bills to amend the Constitution - to permit holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together, part of the 'one nation, one election' push - were tabled in the Lok Sabha today, triggering furious protests by the opposition.

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Law Minister Arjun Meghwal tabled the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill. Sources said the bill is now likely to be referred to a joint committee - to be announced tomorrow - for further consultation. As the single largest party, the BJP will chair this committee and also get the maximum seats. The initial term will be 90 days, but this may be extended.
The tabling was followed by scathing attacks from the opposition; the Congress' Manish Tewari, the Samajwadi Party's Dharmendra Yadav, the Trinamool's Kalyan Banerjee, the DMK's TR Baalu, and Supriya Sule of the NCP (Sharad Pawar's faction) led the charge.
Mr Tewari slammed the proposal as "beyond this House's legislative competence" and said it must be "withdrawn immediately". Mr Yadav warned, "This is the path to dictatorship" and Mr Banerjee said it "hits the basic structure of the Constitution".
Three allies of the BJP - Andhra Pradesh's ruling TDP and its state rival, ex-Chief Minister Jagan Reddy's YSR Congress Party, and the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde - have all backed the bill.
The bills seeking to amend the Constitution were then subject to a division vote - a first in the new Parliament - to be formally tabled in the House. The bills cleared that hurdle comfortably, but the margin of victory - less than the 2/3rd needed to pass the final version - provided additional ammunition for the Congress and the opposition.
The government began the morning's proceedings by making a case for its 'one nation, one election' proposal, saying, "India's democracy thrives on vibrancy of elections... and fragmented and frequent polls has sparked discussions for a more efficient system."
Last week the Union Cabinet cleared two bills to amend the Constitution and allow the ruling BJP to implement its 'one nation, one election' proposal. The bills - and the amendments - were recommended by a panel led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, with Home Minister Amit Shah as a member, in its September report.
The first contains amendments linking the term of state Assemblies to the Lok Sabha; this means the terms of state governments elected after 2029 will end with the tenure of that Lok Sabha. So, an Assembly elected in 2031 will dissolve in 2034 and not complete its five-year term, so its next poll cycle can be synced to the 20th Lok Sabha election. The second proposes changing the Assemblies of Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir to align it with others states and the Lok Sabha.
These provisions are not expected to come into effect before the 2034 election; according to the bill, it will be enforced after an 'appointed' date - to be notified after the first sitting of a newly elected Lok Sabha. Then, if a legislative Assembly is dissolved ahead of scheduled, mid-term polls will be held for a legislature to complete the term.
The Kovind panel believes these bills will not require ratification by the states, which would have made it difficult for the BJP, given opposition from non-party ruled states. However, proposals for a common electoral roll, or to align local body polls with those at the state and central level, will need the nod of at least half of the states.