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The bill proposes to conduct the Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections simultaneously and was dubbed as a “game changer” by ex-President Ram Nath Kovind.
The ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill is likely to be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal tomorrow. (PTI)
The Centre will introduce the ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOP) Bill in the Lok Sabha at noon on Tuesday (December 17). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a three-line whip to all MPs in Lok Sabha ahead of the introduction of the bill.
The Centre on Monday listed two bills to be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in the Lower House of the Parliament on Tuesday – the ONOP Bill, also known as The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill.
Following this announcement, BJP’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also issued a whip to all its MPs in the Lok Sabha, and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) also asked all MPs to be present in the House.
Last week, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet approved the Constitutional Amendment Bill to roll out the concept of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls. This bill will be introduced by Meghwal in the Lower House on Tuesday.
After its introduction, Meghwal is expected to request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament for wider consultations. The joint panel will be constituted on a pro-rata basis, based on the strength of MPs of various parties.
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Top opposition leaders such as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin have opposed the bill, calling it “anti-democratic” and an authoritarian move designed to “undermine India’s democracy.”
The Cabinet has already approved the Ram Nath Kovind Committee’s report on the proposal, which advocates simultaneous elections across the country. Kovind had said during the consultation process on “one nation, one election” that 32 parties supported the idea while 15 did not.
“The central government will have to build consensus. This issue is not in the interest of any party but the nation. It (One Nation One Election) will be a game changer – it’s not my opinion but of the economists that after its implementation, the country’s GDP will rise by 1-1.5%,” Kovind earlier said.
The government earlier said ONOP will be implemented in two phases as recommended by the Kovind committee. In the first phase, there are plans to conduct Lok Sabha and assembly polls simultaneously. The second phase will entail local body polls (panchayat and municipalities) within 100 days of general elections. Also, there are plans for a common electoral roll and the formation of an implementation group.
Simultaneous polls were held in the country between 1951 and 1967. The concept of simultaneous elections has featured in many reports and studies since 1983, essentially implying a return to the previous practice of conducting polls concurrently.
