Modi govt set to introduce 'one nation, one election' bills in Lok Sabha on Monday
New Delhi: The BJP-led NDA government is scheduled to present two bills related to "one nation, one election" in the Lok Sabha on Monday (Dec 16), media reports said.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will table The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill in the House, PTI reported.
The BJP advanced its agenda for simultaneous elections on Thursday when the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a constitutional amendment bill aimed at implementing this concept.
Two draft legislations received the Cabinet’s nod: the constitutional amendment bill and a simpler bill to amend laws governing three Union territories with legislative assemblies to align them with the proposed changes.
The constitutional amendment bill is aimed at synchronising Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly elections.
Although a high-level committee, headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind, had recommended in its 18,626-page report that municipal and panchayat elections be held parallelly national and state elections in phases, the Cabinet has opted to exclude, "as of now," the framework for local body elections.
Several INDIA bloc parties, including the Congress and AAP, have opposed the decision, arguing that it could disproportionately benefit the ruling party.
Meanwhile, prominent NDA allies, such as JD(U) and Chirag Paswan's party, have expressed their support for the proposal.
To ensure widespread consensus, the government plans to refer the bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and seek inputs from state assembly speakers, intellectuals, experts, civil society members, and the general public.
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