The government is ready to launch its One Country One Election project and may introduce a bill in Parliament this session, sources have told NDTV. The Cabinet has already approved the report of the Ram Nath Kovind Committee on One Country Elections. The government now wants to reach consensus on the bill and may send it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee or JPC for detailed discussions, sources said.
The GPC will hold discussions with representatives of all political parties. The other stakeholders will also be involved in the process, sources said. Speakers of all state assemblies can also be summoned, along with intellectuals from across the country. The opinions of ordinary people will also be taken into account.
Initially, the government wants to involve the people and the ways and means to achieve this can be discussed later, sources said.
Changing the current system will be a huge challenge in the absence of consensus.
Implementing the One Nation, One Election plan would require at least six bills to amend the constitution, and the government would need a two-thirds majority in parliament.
Although the NDA has a simple majority in both houses of Parliament, securing a two-thirds majority in both houses could be an uphill task.
Of the 245 seats in Rajya Sabha, the NDA has 112, the opposition parties 85. For a two-thirds majority, the government needs at least 164 votes.
Even in the Lok Sabha, the NDA has 292 of the 545 seats. The two-thirds majority is 364. But the situation could be dynamic as the majority would be counted only in terms of the members present casting their votes.
The government has been pushing for simultaneous elections for some time, arguing that the current system takes time, money and effort. Then there is the issue of the Model Code of Conduct, which is promulgated before the elections and which puts a brake on development work, the government has pointed out.
The opposition has termed the idea as impractical, pointing out the logistical challenge the poll commission faces in conducting state elections, which sometimes involve multiple phases.
The idea of simultaneous elections is also undemocratic and unconstitutional, the opposition has argued.
The Kovind report has suggested that the government create bipartisan support and a national narrative. The implementation of 'One Nation One Election' can only take place after 2029, the report recommends.
