Meghwal introduced two bills in Lok Sabha — The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 — which could pave the way for the BJP's ambitious project.
Published Dec 17, 2024 | 2:48 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 17, 2024 | 2:53 PM
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introducing the 'One Nation One Election' bills in the Lok Sabha.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill for “one nation, one election” in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, 17 December. However, the Opposition sought a division of votes, leading to a voting.
Later, upon obtaining a majority support, 269 votes to 198, the bills were re-introduced before the House was adjourned.
Meghwal introduced two bills in Lok Sabha — The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 — which could pave the way for the BJP’s ambitious project.
Meanwhile, NDA constituents, including the TDP expressed support towards the bills.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that when the bill was taken up in the Cabinet for approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that the bill be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions.
Congress member Manish Tewari said that the bills were an assault on the basic structure doctrine of the Constitution.
“Introduction, consideration of one nation, one election bills beyond the legislative competence of this House, urge govt to withdraw it,” he said.
DMK MP TR Baalu opposed the bill and said, “As my leader MK Stalin has said, it is anti-federal… The electors have the right to elect the government for five years and the same cannot be curtailed with simultaneous elections…”
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav seconded the Congress’ take and slammed the proposal for allegedly threatening the federal structure of the country and diminishing the role of states.
“In democratic contexts, the word ‘one’ itself is undemocratic. Democracy favours plurality. The feeling of ‘one’ has no place for others. This violates social tolerance. The feeling of ‘one’ at the individual level gives birth to ego and turns power into dictatorship,” Yadav said in a post on X.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP ET Muhammed Basheer termed the bill an “attack on the democracy and Constitution and federalism of India.”
The Union Cabinet accepted the High-Level Committee Report on Simultaneous Elections in India, on 18 September 2024.
“Proponents argue that such a system could enhance administrative efficiency, reduce election-related expenditures, and promote policy continuity. As India aspires to streamline governance and optimise its democratic processes, the concept of ‘One Nation, One Election’ has emerged as a key reform requiring thoughtful deliberation and consensus,” the Union government said in a press release.
The High-Level Committee, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, was constituted on 2 September 2023 with an objective to explore the feasibility of conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
The committee solicited extensive public and political feedback and consulted with experts to analyse the potential benefits and challenges associated with this proposed electoral reform.
The panel had recommended conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies as the first phase, to be followed by local body polls within a 100-day period.
The high-level committee on “one nation, one election” had approached 62 parties out of which 47 responded — 32 in support of holding elections simultaneously, 15 against it. According to the report of the panel submitted to President Droupadi Murmu on 14 March, 15 parties did not submit a response.
Among the national parties, the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bahujan Samaj Party and the CPI(M) opposed the proposal, while the BJP and National People’s Party supported it.
The concept of simultaneous elections is not a new idea in India. Following the adoption of the Constitution, elections to the Lok Sabha and all State Legislative Assemblies were conducted simultaneously from 1951 to 1967.
The first general elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies were held together in 1951-52 and continued for three subsequent general elections in 1957, 1962, and 1967.
However, this cycle of synchronised elections was disrupted in 1968 and 1969 due to the premature dissolution of some State Legislative Assemblies.
The Fourth Lok Sabha was also dissolved prematurely in 1970, with fresh elections held in 1971. Unlike the First, Second, and Third Lok Sabha, which completed their full five-year terms, the Fifth Lok Sabha’s term was extended until 1977 under Article 352 because of the declaration of Emergency. Since then, only a few Lok Sabha terms have lasted the full five years, such as the Eighth, Tenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth. Others, including the Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth, were dissolved early.
State Assemblies have faced similar disruptions over the years. Premature dissolutions and term extensions have become a recurring challenge. These developments have firmly disrupted the cycle of simultaneous elections, leading to the current pattern of staggered electoral schedules across the country.
The BJP government said that simultaneous election would promote consistency in governance, prevent policy paralysis, mitigate resource diversion, and promote regional party relevance among other things.
It added that the simultaneous elections would rescue the financial and administrative loss caused due to continuous elections across various Assembly and general elections in India.
“With widespread public and political support, the concept of simultaneous elections stands poised to streamline India’s democratic processes and bolster the efficiency of governance,” the Union government said in the release.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
