The BJP-led NDA government will table the One Nation One Election Bill in the Lok Sabha today. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is set to introduce 2 bills in the lower house today, as per a government statement.
These bills are ONOP bill, officially titled The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill. In view of the ONOP bill being tabled, the BJP sent a three-line whip to all its MPs in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress has also issued a three-line whip to its Lok Sabha MPs, mandating their attendance in the House for today's proceedings. After the bill is introduced in the Parliament, Meghwal is likely to request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further consultation.
The JPC will be chaired by the BJP, being the largest party. The BJP will also have multiple positions in the joint parliamentary panel, a party official told India Today. Om Birla is likely to announce the constitution of the JPC by Tuesday evening.
Speaking on Agenda Aaj Tak, Union Home Minister Amit Shah dismissed claims by the opposition that the ONOP bill undermines the principles of federalism. He said that ONOP is not a new thing and three elections in India were conducted under the One Nation One Election method.
"In 1952, all elections were held simultaneously. In 1957, although elections were scheduled for different dates, the assemblies of eight states were dissolved, enabling simultaneous elections. Even after this, the third election was conducted largely following the One Nation, One Election approach," Amit Shah said.
The One Nation One Election bill proposes a unified electoral process where all elections including those for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies are held simultaneously.
If the bill is passed, the voters will cast their votes for both levels of government on the same day, reducing the frequency of elections.
However, simultaneous elections will not take place before 2034. As per the One Nation One Election bill, the "appointed date" will be after the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029, with simultaneous elections scheduled to begin in 2034.