The Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) held its first meeting on Wednesday to discuss two bills providing for ‘one country, one election’. In this meeting, MPs from different parties shared their views and concerns. The committee thoroughly discussed the idea of holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
Concerns and suggestions of MPs
- No-confidence motion and impact on rights:
An NDA ally MP raised the question that limiting the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha could impact the rights of MPs.
- Tenure and stability of the government:
Some members expressed concern that if a government falls midway and a new government is formed only for the remaining period, its functionality and stability may be affected.
- EVM vs Ballot Paper:
A member from South India demanded the use of ballot papers instead of EVMs in elections.
Stances of government and opposition
- Support of ruling party:
BJP MPs praised the idea of ’one country, one election’ and called it in the interest of the country. The Ministry of Law and Justice also told in the meeting that this idea has been supported by many bodies including the Law Commission.
- Opposition criticism:
Congress called it against the basic structure of the Constitution. Trinamool Congress protested against this idea, calling it against democratic rights.
Composition and objectives of the committee
The 39-member JPC has been constituted to consider the ‘Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024’ and ‘Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024’. Key members of the committee:
- PP Choudhary (President) from BJP
- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Congress
- Sanjay Singh from Aam Aadmi Party
- Kalyan Banerjee from Trinamool Congress
The committee includes 22 members of the NDA, 10 members of the opposition alliance ‘India’ and representatives of non-affiliated parties like BJD and YSR Congress. The committee has to submit its report by the last week of the budget session.
Background and objectives
Both the bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha last year. Its objective is to make the electoral process simple and practical, so that time and resources can be saved. However, differences remain between various parties regarding its impact and implementation.
