New Delhi, Dec 18, 2024
A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has been constituted to review the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ legislation. The committee comprises 31 members, with 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. Its primary task will be to examine the feasibility and framework for conducting simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.
The JPC will focus on reviewing the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aim to align elections at the national and state levels.
The Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Law Minister Arjun Meghwal and have now been referred to the committee for further scrutiny.
The committee will also evaluate proposals for synchronising elections in Union Territories, including Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir, with the Lok Sabha elections.
Among the members of the JPC are Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Congress), Anurag Thakur and Anil Baluni (BJP), as well as other opposition leaders such as Kalyan Banerjee (TMC), and Dharmendra Yadav (Samajwadi Party). The committee’s discussions and recommendations will be the key to shaping the future of India’s electoral process.
The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Law Minister Arjun Meghwal following a debate lasting nearly 90 minutes. After a division of votes, the Bill was passed with 269 MPs voting in favour and 198 voting against it.
Lok Sabha MPs in the committee are P.P. Chaudhary, C. M. Ramesh, Bansuri Swaraj, Parshottam Rupala, Anurag Singh Thakur, Vishnu Dayal Ram, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Sambit Patra, Anil Baluni, Vishnu Datt Sharma, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Manish Tewari, Sukhdeo Bhagat, Dharmendra Yadav, Kalyan Banerjee, T. M. Selvaganapathi, GM Harish Balayogi, Supriya Sule, Shrikant Shinde, Chandan Chauhan and Balashowry Vallabhaneni.
While the government argues that simultaneous elections will streamline governance and reduce costs, opposition parties have raised concerns about its impact on the federal structure. The JPC will play a pivotal role in addressing these concerns and building consensus on this landmark electoral reform.
The committee is expected to submit its report before the next parliamentary session, setting the stage for further discussions on what is being described as one of the most transformative proposals in India’s electoral history.(Agency)
