The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP PP Chaudhary has been appointed as the chairperson of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for the two bills related to the ‘One Nation One Election’ proposal.
This appointment was made by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, according to a notice issued by Lok Sabha General Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh. The two bills under review are the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
The decision to establish the JPC came just before the Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday. The motion for the creation of the committee was moved by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The committee’s role will be to examine the proposed amendments in detail, which are aimed at altering the Constitution and other significant laws in India to facilitate the idea of holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
The JPC shall consist of eminent Members of Parliaments from different political parties. Some of them are BJP's Ghanshyam Tiwari, Congress' Randeep Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik, TMC's Saket Gokhale, and YSR Congress's Vijaysai Reddy.
The committee also includes Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Manish Tewari, NCP's Supriya Sule, and several others, representing a broad spectrum of Indian politics.
The bills presented by Meghwal aim to amend the Constitution to implement "One Nation One Election," synchronising elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies across the country.
Also part of the proposed amendments, to be scrutinised by the JPC, are 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.
After the passing of the motion by Rajya Sabha, even Lok Sabha passed a resolution referring the bills to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. There will be 27 members from Lok Sabha and 12 members from Rajya Sabha making JPC.
The committee has been asked to submit its report into Lok Sabha on the first day of the last week of the next parliamentary session.
The 'One Nation One Election' plan which refers to the simultaneous conduct of parliamentary and state assembly elections has been opposed by many parties.
Critics argue that the new form will provide undue advantage to the ruling party since electioneering in the country would be in privileged positions in all fronts; the national and regional politics will unfairly favour the ruling party over others.
It is said that the new implementation would also kill the autonomy of regional parties, which would find it rather rough campaigning for both state and national elections at the same time; thereby, it is also viewed that this proposal will put the electoral process more in favour of the party in power at the national level for which implications on federalism are also raised.
However, despite opposition from various parties, the bills on 'One Nation One Election' were approved by the Union Cabinet late last week. It suggests that the government is moving ahead with the proposal.
The constitution of such a committee is very vital in reviewing the desirables and heavy implications of the conduction of simultaneous elections all across the country.
Its outcome could well change the political history of our country and the future blueprint and pattern of elections in India. While proponents concede that efficiency and bring savings are arguments that take hype, the argument still goes uproar among political leaders, political analysts, and the general public.
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