The Union government will introduce the 'One Nation, One Election' Bill, paving the way for simultaneous elections in the Lok Sabha today, according to the revised list of cases in the Lower House of Parliament.
The two bills approved by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet on Thursday include the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will introduce the two bills, according to today's revised list of cases on the Lok Sabha website. The government had previously put the introduction of the two bills on the agenda for Monday, but later reversed its decision.
According to some reports, after introducing the bills today, the law minister is expected to request Speaker Om Birla to refer them to a Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) for wider consultations.
The bills paving the way for uniform elections across the country have been on the agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for quite some time now.
The winter session of Parliament that started on November 25 will end on December 20.
'One nation, one election' not before 2034
Once the elections to the Lok Sabha, the Assembly and the local (urban or national) elections in Parliament are passed, they will be held in the same year, if not at the same time.
The high-level panel headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind submitted the report in March before the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The panel said in the report that simultaneous elections could “transform the electoral process.”
The first step is to hold the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together. The panel has recommended that local body elections be held within 100 days.
The high-level panel said in the report that simultaneous elections “can transform the electoral process.”
If the bill is passed without any changes, the 'One Nation, One Election' initiative could be implemented from 2034.