One Nation One Election

Ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi questions Article 82A(5) of the new bill that grants excessive power to the Election Commission to decide if an Assembly election should be separate from the Lok Sabha polls

The Naga Peoples' Front (NPF) on Saturday strongly opposed the proposal of simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, asserting that it would undermine India's federal structure and lead to a "one-party rule". Raising the issue of 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) during the Zero Hour of the Nagaland assembly, NPF MLA Achumbemo Kikon said it is detrimental to India, which is known for its unity in diversity. He claimed ONOE would undermine India's federal structure and the autonomy of individual states, especially Nagaland, which was born out of a political agreement, with special privileges inserted under Article 371(A) of the Constitution. He argued that synchronising elections would diminish the role of regional parties, which play a crucial part in advocating for local issues. Kikon said ONOE could overshadow regional issues with national political narratives, especially from financially dominant national parties. This shift, he said, would jeopardise the democr

According to sources, many leaders questioned the affordability and practicality of holding simultaneous elections across the country

Former Law Commission chairperson Justice (Retd.) Ritu Raj Awasthi on Tuesday is learnt to have told the joint committee of Parliament examining the 'one nation, one election' (ONOE) Bill that the proposed measure does not violate the basic structure doctrine on federalism and is not against the democratic principles of the Constitution. Justice Awasthi, who is now a member of anti-corruption watchdog Lokpal, is also learnt to have told the committee members that the bill, which lays down the legal framework to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, does not violate the right to vote for eligible citizens. Deposing before the panel as an expert, the former Karnataka High Court chief justice said that the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill had all the ingredients to hold simultaneous polls in the country. The law panel under his chairpersonship had prepared a draft report on simultaneous elections. He is learnt to have told the committee that the bill, ...

Chairman PP Chaudhary stated on January 31 that they had a positive discussion and members were asked to give suggestions

The Prime Minister urged the youth including NCC cadets, MyBharat volunteers and NSS members to be part of the debate, take part in large numbers and lead it

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday advocated for the "One Nation One Election" initiative, asserting it has the potential to redefine "good governance" in the country by promoting consistency in governance, preventing policy paralysis, mitigating resource diversion, and alleviating financial burdens on the state. In her address to the nation ahead of the 76th Republic Day, she emphasised the government's ongoing efforts to "eliminate remnants of a colonial mindset that have lingered in the country for decades" and cited the replacement of the British-era criminal laws with three new modern laws. "We have been witnessing concerted efforts to change that mindset... Reforms of such magnitude require an audacity of vision," she said. Highlighting the significance of the proposed bill aimed at synchronising election schedules across the country, Murmu noted, "The 'One Nation One Election' plan can offer numerous benefits, including enhanced governance and reduced financial strain." In

The Election Commission (EC) has projected a requirement of 800 additional warehouses across the country to store EVMs and other equipment in case simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies are held. The poll body has described the construction of warehouses as a "laborious process" entailing cost. The cost of the land and construction is borne by the respective state governments. The EC had shared its views on various aspects of holding simultaneous elections with the Law Commission and the Department of Legal Affairs in the Union law ministry in March 2023. Its views on the issue now form part of the documents shared with the members of the joint committee of Parliament examining the two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous polls in the country. "In case of simultaneous elections, for safe and secure storage of EVMs/VVPATs, there will be a requirement of about 800 additional warehouses...," the EC has said. It has noted that enforcing safety and .

The Joint Parliamentary Committee is tasked with scrutinising the bills proposing simultaneous elections and addressing the concerns raised by Opposition parties

From 'One Nation, One Election' to financial reforms, here's a glimpse at the landmark bills passed this year that are poised to reshape governance, law, and the economy

In the current version of CAB, if a state's elections cannot be held with the LS, the EC will be empowered to declare the dates for those polls, effectively giving it final say on the Assembly's term

Left parties have strongly opposed the 'One Nation, One Election' move of the government, for which two bills have been introduced in Lok Sabha

The first meeting of the 39-member parliamentary panel on 'one nation, one election' is set to be held on January 8, setting the tone for nationwide deliberations on the key poll reform measure of the BJP-led NDA government. Parliamentary sources said the first meeting of the Joint Committee on bills for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, chaired by BJP member P P Chaudhary, is likely to be an introductory one with officials briefing the panel on the two bills to implement a long-cherished election promise of the BJP. The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill were introduced in the Lok Sabha last week and referred to the joint committee of Parliament on Friday, the last day of the Winter Session. The government decided to increase the committee's strength from 31 to 39 as more political parties expressed the desire to be part of the exercise to examine the two draft legislations on simultaneous elections. Form

The Rajya Sabha on Friday adopted through voice vote a motion to nominate 12 of its members to the joint committee of Parliament that will scrutinise the two bills proposing simultaneous elections. Soon after the House met following an initial adjournment in the morning, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to move a motion to nominate members of the Rajya Sabha to the panel. Moving the motion, Meghwal said the Upper House of Parliament resolves to nominate 12 members to serve on the joint committee. The members nominated from the Rajya Sabha are Ghanshyam Tiwari, Bhubaneshwar Kalita, Dr K Laxman and Kavita Patidar of the BJP, Sanjay Kumar Jha of the JD(U), Randeep Singh Surjewala and Mukul Wasnik of the Congress, Saket Gokhale of the TMC, P Wilson of the DMK, Sanjay Singh of AAP, Manas Ranjan Mangaraj of the BJD and V Vijaisai Reddy of the YSRCP. Minutes before the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die, the House on Friday adopted a resolution recommendi

Minutes before the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die, the House on Friday adopted a resolution recommending the two bills on holding simultaneous polls to a joint committee of the two Houses. Passed by a voice vote amid a din created by the opposition over Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks related to Ambedkar, the resolution moved by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal recommended to the Rajya Sabha to communicate to the Lok Sabha names of the members to be appointed by the upper houses to the joint committee. While 27 members on the panel will be from the Lok Sabha, 12 others will be from the Rajya Sabha. Former Union ministers Anurag Thakur and P P Chaudhary from the BJP, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of the Congress are among the Lok Sabha members, who will be part of the joint committee of Parliament that will scrutinise two bills on simultaneous elections. The two 'one nation, one election' (ONOE) bills, including one requiring an amendment in the Constitution, lay down the mechanism to

The government has moved to increase the strength of the joint committee of Parliament that will scrutinise the two bills proposing simultaneous elections from 31 MPs to 39, giving representation to more parties. The list of Lok Sabha MPs proposed by the government now includes one member each from the Shiv Sena (UBT), CPI(M) and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), besides two more members of the BJP and one more of the Samajwadi party. The list of business for the House for Friday includes a motion from Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to refer the two bills to a joint committee, including 27 members from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha. The new Lok Sabha MPs proposed to be part of the committee are Baijayant Panda and Sanjay Jaiswal from the BJP, the SP's Chhotelal, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Anil Desai, LJP's Shambhavi and the CPI(M)'s K Radhakrishnan. The committee will scrutinise the two "one nation one election" (ONOE) bills, including one for amending the Constitution. Fo

Ambedkar row: A scuffle in Parliament escalated as BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing an MP, while Gandhi countered, blaming BJP MPs for blocking and threatening him

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The motion in the Lok Sabha aims to form a Joint Parliamentary Committee for reviewing Bills related to 'One Nation, One Election' today. The panel will comprise 21 MPs from the Lower House

The BJP is considering the names of its seasoned MPs Ravi Shankar Prasad and Nishikant Dubey as nominees for the parliamentary panel that will scrutinise simultaneous poll bills, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Manish Tewari are set to be among the Congress representatives, sources said. Sukhdeo Bhagat and Randeep Surjewala are the Congress' other choices for the joint committee of Parliament. Kalyan Banerjee and Saket Gokhale of the Trinamool Congress, Shrikant Shinde of the Shiv Sena, Sanjay Jha of the JD(U), and T M Selvaganapathi and P Wilson of the DMK are expected to be part of the panel which may have 31 members -- 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. Sources said Anurag Thakur and P P Chaudhary are also being considered as the probable BJP choices for the panel in which the saffron party and its allies will be in a majority due to their numerical superiority in Parliament. The two 'One Nation One Election' (ONOE) bills, including one requiring an amendment in