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The bill proposes to hold Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections simultaneously and was called a “game changer” by former 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 Center will introduce the ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOP) Bill in the Lok Sabha at noon on Tuesday (December 17). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued a three-line whip to all MPs in the Lok Sabha ahead of the introduction of the bill.
The center on Monday drafted two bills to be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday – the ONOP Bill, also known as the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories (Amendment) Bill.
After the announcement, the BJP’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) again issued a whip to all members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, and the Shiv Sena (Shinde’s party) also asked all Members of Parliament to be present in the house.
Last week, the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Constitution Amendment Bill to scrap the concept of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls. The bill will be introduced by Meghwal in the Lower House on Tuesday.
After the launch, Meghwal is expected to ask Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to the Joint Committee of Parliament for further consultation. The joint team will be formed on a pro rata basis, based on the strengths of the MPs from the different parties.
UPDATE: As Government Moves One Step Closer to ‘One Nation, One Election’, What Key Amendments Are Proposed to the Bill?
Top opposition leaders such as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin 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 report on the proposal, which advocates simultaneous elections across the country. Kovind said during the ongoing consultation on “one nation, one election” that 32 parties supported the idea and 15 did not.
“The central government will have to build consensus. This issue does not need an organization but a nation. This (One Nation One Election) will change the game – not my opinion but that of economists that after its implementation, the country’s GDP will increase by 1-1.5%,” Kovind said earlier.
Earlier, the government 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 polls and simultaneous polls. The second phase will involve polling of local bodies (panchayat and municipality) within 100 days of the general election. Also, there are plans for a single electoral roll and the creation of an implementation team.
Simultaneous voting was conducted in the country between 1951 and 1967. The concept of simultaneous elections has appeared in many reports and studies since 1983, implying a return to the earlier practice of conducting simultaneous voting.
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