Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday introduced The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024. The Bill is also being referred to as the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill.
The Bill aims to enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha as well as state and Union Territory assemblies.
Congress MP Manish Tewari opposed the introduction of the Bill, saying, “Beyond the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution lies the basic structure doctrine, which outlines certain features of the Indian Constitution that even the amending powers of this House cannot alter. One of these essential features is federalism and the structure of our democracy. Therefore, the Bills moved by the Union Law Minister constitute a direct assault on the basic structure of the Constitution.”
The BJP, Congress, and Shiv Sena issued whips to their MPs to remain present in the House at the time of the Bill’s introduction.
The Bill faced opposition from INDIA bloc parties, such as the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, even before its introduction in the House.
Earlier Today, Congress MP Manickam Tagore opposed the ONOE Bill and stated, “The Congress party rejects this bill. We will oppose it at the introduction stage and call for it to be referred to a parliamentary committee. This bill goes against the federal nature of India.”
Last week, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval to the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill.
After its introduction, the Union Law Minister us expected to request the Lok Sabha speaker to refer the Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament for detailed discussions. It has been reported that the Centre wants to build a consensus around the Bill before it is passed in both houses of Parliament and becomes an Act.
‘One Nation, One Election’ was a key promise in the BJP’s manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In August this year, PM Modi urged all political parties to support its implementation, emphasizing the challenges posed by frequent elections to India’s progress.
In September, the Union Cabinet approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ plan, endorsing the report of a high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which examined the proposal.
The report, submitted in March this year ahead of the general elections, outlined the steps required for its implementation.
