Based on the recommendations of a committee chaired by former president Ram Nath Kovind, the Bills set out the process for moving towards simultaneous elections to Parliament and state legislatures..reports Asian Lite News
After listing two Bills that would enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies of states and Union Territories for Monday, the Government has postponed their introduction in the Lok Sabha until later this week.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill) 2024 were included in the list of business for Monday in the Lok Sabha. However, the two Bills were off the revised list of business.
The Government has decided to introduce the Bills later this week, perhaps on Tuesday, sources aware of the development said. Discussion and voting on the supplementary demands for grants for 2024-2025 and the introduction and passing of the appropriation Bills by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are included in the revised list of business in the Lok Sabha for Monday.
The Rajya Sabha is also scheduled to start a discussion on 75 years of the Constitution on Monday, a source said.
The cabinet approved the two Bills last week. Based on the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on ONE NATION ONE ELECTION chaired by former president Ram Nath Kovind, the Bills set out the process for moving towards simultaneous elections.
The President would have to notify an “appointed date” on the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election and any Legislative Assembly elected after that date would have its term curtailed to end with that of the Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, Arjun Ram Meghwal will also move the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 for leave to introduce a Bill further to amend the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Also to introduce to Bill.
Several opposition leaders have questioned the One Nation One election proposal saying it was impractical and an attack on federalism
Senior Congress leader and RS MP Digvijay Singh said, ‘One Nation, One Election’ said that if a state government falls in six months or loses its majority, will the state have to remain without a government for the rest of the 4.5 years.”Elections cannot be postponed for more than 6 months in any state. If the One Nation One Election is being introduced and the government in a state falls in 6 months, the no-confidence motion is passed, will we remain without a government for 4.5 years? This is not possible in this country… Earlier, governments used to complete their full term of 5 years, but today some governments fall in 2.5 years and somewhere they fall in 3 years.”
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh demanded that the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, asserting that the bill undermines democracy.
“The bill will be presented in Parliament, and we want it to be referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which will hold discussions on it. The Indian National Congress’s position was clarified last year by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who sent a four-page letter to former President Ram Nath Kovind’s committee on One Nation, One Election, stating that we oppose the bill,” Ramesh told ANI.
On December 12, the ‘One Nation One Election’ bill was approved by the Union Cabinet paving the way for its introduction in Parliament. However, before its introduction in the Parliament, the bill initiated debate between the ruling and opposition parties.
Several parties of the INDIA bloc opposed the bill while the BJP-led NDA alliance parties welcomed this bill, saying, it would save time and lay the groundwork for unified elections across the country.
Notably, in September this year, the Union Cabinet approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal, which aims to hold simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, along with urban body and panchayat polls, within a span of 100 days.
The recommendations were outlined in a report by a high-level panel chaired by former President Kovind.
Following the Cabinet’s approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the decision, calling it a significant step towards enhancing India’s democracy.
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