'One election' bill tabled in House, may be sent to JPC

NEW DELHI: The Union government on Tuesday introduced in the Lok Sabha two bills aimed at ushering in simultaneous state and national elections amid loud protests by the Opposition, taking the first step towards implementing sweeping changes in the way polls are conducted in the world's largest democracy.

- Saubhadra Chatterji

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill will be sent to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) for detailed review, said people aware of developments, after the Opposition forced voting over the scope of the bills' introduction. As many as 263 members voted in favour of the bill and 198 against it.

The proposal to align elections - known colloquially as one nation, one poll (ONOP) - was a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 2024 poll manifesto and is backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who argues that it will trim election costs and give more time for development.

But the proposal is fiercely opposed by a raft of political parties and activists who allege that it will hurt democratic accountability and federalism. The bills propose the alignment process to begin in 2029 and the first simultaneous elections in 2034.

"When the ONOP bill was taken up in the Cabinet for approval, PM Modi had said that it should be sent to JPC for detailed discussion. If the law minister is willing to send the bill to JPC, the discussion on its introduction can end," Union home minister Amit Shah said.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla will constitute a JPC in the next few days, said people aware of developments, with members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and headed likely by a lawmaker from the government side.

Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the constitutional amendment Bill which proposes amendments and insertion of new Articles that will allow the terms of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies to be synchronised - and the Union territories Bill, which seeks to align elections in the Union territories of Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu & Kashmir with the Lok Sabha polls, after nearly 90 minutes of debate.