New Delhi: Centre will introduce the “One Nation One election” Bill in The Lok Sabha on Monday, as per the list of business for the day.
The Bill will be introduced by the Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, which will enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha as well as state and Union territory assemblies.
On Thursday, the Cabinet approved the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2024, and circulated it to MPs .
Meghwal will also introduce a separate bill to amend the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.
The Bills were drafted as per the recommendations of the high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which was appointed by the Law Ministry on Sep 2, 2023.
The ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, particularly those in the INDIA bloc, arguing that it will “destroyed” the federal structure of the country.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh demanded the bill be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for detailed scrutiny, asserting it undermines democracy.
Ramesh highlighted that the party had already expressed its opposition in a detailed letter sent by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to Kovind’s committee. Several parties from the INDIA bloc have opposed the bill, calling it an attack on the federal structure of governance.
