'One Nation One Election' Bill likely to be tabled in Lok Sabha today

A constitutional amendment bill to hold simultaneous Lol Sabha and Assembly polls is set to be tabled in the lower house of Parliament on Tuesday (December 17) and then referred to a joint committee of the two Houses.

The Lok Sabha agenda said the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly being referred to as the Bill on ‘One Nation, One Election’, is expected to be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

After its introduction, Meghwal will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament for wider consultations.

Both the BJP and the Congress have issued whips to their MPs to be present in the Lok Sabha during the tabling of the bill.

The Shiv Sena has also issued a whip to all its Lok Sabha MPs for their presence in the house.

Other Bills on agenda

The minister will also introduce the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to align the elections of the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry and the NCT of Delhi.

The joint panel will be constituted on a pro-rata basis, based on the strength of MPs of various parties.

Also read: BJP’s obsession with One Nation, One Election: Implications for democracy

BJP to chair committee

As the largest party, the BJP will get the chairmanship of the committee, besides several members, a functionary said on Monday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was a member of a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind that recommended holding Lok Sabha, state assembly and local body elections simultaneously in a phased manner, is likely to be present in the Lower House at the time of the Bill's introduction, the functionary said.

Last week, the Union Cabinet decided to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies but opted to leave "as of now" how local body polls will be held.

Panel selection

Meghwal may tell the Lower House that since the Bill will need wider consultations with lawmakers and the public, it should be sent to a joint committee.

The speaker will seek the names of members for the proposed panel from the parties on the same day.

Watch: Decoding BJP's obsession over 'One Nation, One Election' | Ep 7 | Talking Sense With Srini

If the parties do not inform the speaker about the members they wish to name for the panel, according to the rules, they may lose membership.

The speaker will announce the committee's composition by the evening on the day the Bill is introduced, the functionary said.

Also read: One Nation, One Election | Why govt move to introduce it in Parliament is more about optics

Initially, the tenure of the proposed committee will be for 90 days but it may be extended later.

What Kovind-led committee said

The Union Cabinet has approved the two bills to hold the parliamentary and assembly polls concurrently.

Kovind had said during the consultation process on One Nation, One Election that 32 parties supported the idea while 15 did not.

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.