New Delhi, Dec 16: The Constitutional Amendment Bill for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously, widely known as the “one nation, one election” (ONOE) Bill, is expected to be introduced in Parliament on Tuesday. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, will be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and is likely to be referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament for broader consultations.
Following the introduction, Meghwal is expected to request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to the Joint Committee, which will be formed based on the proportional representation of MPs from various parties. As the largest party, the BJP will hold the chairmanship of the committee, the government functionary indicated.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a member of the high-level committee that recommended simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies, is expected to be present during the Bill’s introduction.
The Union Cabinet recently approved two bills for holding concurrent parliamentary and state assembly elections but deferred decisions on how local body elections will be handled. Meghwal is likely to state in the House that the Bill requires wider consultations, leading to its referral to a joint committee.
The Speaker will request nominations for the committee from parties on the same day, and if parties fail to provide names, they may lose membership. The committee’s initial tenure will be 90 days, with the possibility of an extension.
Simultaneous elections were held in India between 1951 and 1967, and the concept has been debated in various reports since 1983. The Kovind-led committee found that 32 political parties supported the idea, while 15 were opposed.
