The Modi government tabled the One Nation, One Election Bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday following a division vote, where 269 members supported the move and 198 opposed it. The proposed legislation aims to synchronise elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, marking a significant electoral reform step.
The Opposition INDIA bloc strongly objected to the Bill, arguing that the government failed to secure the required two-thirds majority for such measures. However, parliamentary procedures suggest that a special majority may not be required for introducing Constitutional Amendment Bills.
Congress MP Manish Tewari opposed the bills for simultaneous elections in the country, saying that they assault the Constitution’s basic structure doctrine.
“Introduction, consideration of one nation, one election bills beyond the legislative competence of this House, urge govt to withdraw it,” he told the Lok Sabha.
Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav opposed the bills for simultaneous polls, calling them an attempt by the BJP to bring in ‘dictatorship’ in the country.
“I am not able to understand just two days ago, no stone was left unturned in the glorious tradition of saving the Constitution. Within two days, the Constitution Amendment Bill has been brought to an end the basic spirit and the basic structure of the Constitution. I agree with Manish Tewari and on behalf of my party and my leader Akhilesh Yadav, I have no hesitation in saying that there was no one more learned than the makers of our Constitution at that time, even in this House, there was no one more learned, I have no hesitation in saying this…” the SP MP said.
Two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections – The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024′ and ‘The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024’, were formally introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, amid a fiery debate.
The bills, that propose ‘One Nation, One Election’, or simultaneous elections to both Lok Sabha and state assemblies, will now be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussion.
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