One Nation, One Election: Simultaneous Polls Bill to be Presented in Lok Sabha Today
On Tuesday, both the Congress and Shiv Sena issued whips to their Lok Sabha members, directing them to be present in the House as important bills to enable simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state and Union Territory assemblies are scheduled for introduction. These bills will be presented in the Lower House of Parliament today.
The Congress party has issued a three-line whip, requiring the attendance of all its Lok Sabha MPs for “crucial proceedings.” Ahead of the session, opposition MPs will meet at 10:30 AM at the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) office to discuss the agenda for the day.
Shiv Sena’s chief whip, Shrirang Barne, also issued a whip, highlighting that “important legislative matters” will be discussed and passed in the House. The Shiv Sena, under Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, is a key ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly known as the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill, will be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Meghwal is expected to request that the Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, refer the Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament for further consultation.
The joint committee will be formed based on the proportional representation of MPs from various parties, with the BJP, as the largest party, likely to hold the chairmanship and several other committee positions.
Last week, the Union Cabinet approved the Constitution Bill along with the Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2024. These bills would allow for the simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and also align the elections in Union Territories such as Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, and the NCT of Delhi.
The drafts of these bills stem from recommendations made by a high-level committee, chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which was appointed by the Law Ministry on September 2, 2023, to explore the necessary amendments for facilitating simultaneous elections.
