One Nation One Election Bill will be presented in Lok Sabha today amid opposition’s opposition, whip issued to BJP MPs

New Delhi: The central government will introduce the ‘One Country, One Election’ (ONOP) Bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday afternoon. This bill proposes to hold elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies simultaneously. Ahead of this important development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a three-line whip to all its MPs in the Lok Sabha. After the introduction of the bill, it has been sent to a joint committee of Parliament for detailed deliberations. Will go. This committee will be formed on the basis of the number of MPs from different parties. While BJP and its allies are supporting this bill, many opposition parties like Congress, Trinamool Congress and DMK are opposing it.

Why is this bill special?

The ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill, listed as the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, will be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal. This bill proposes to hold elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies simultaneously. Along with this, Arjun Meghwal may also introduce another bill to amend the Union Territory Act, 1963, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019. This bill talks about the changes necessary to conduct simultaneous elections for Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry assemblies.

BJP issued whip

BJP’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has also issued a whip for all its MPs in the Lok Sabha. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) has also asked all its MPs to be present in the House. The Union Cabinet had approved the ‘One Country, One Election’ bill earlier this month.

After the bill is introduced, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is expected to request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to send the ‘One Country, One Election’ bill to a joint committee of Parliament for comprehensive consultation. This joint committee will be formed on the basis of proportional representation, depending on the number of MPs from different parties.

NDA’s support, opposition’s opposition

BJP and its allies support the bill, while several opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress and DMK are opposing it. The Union Cabinet had accepted the recommendations of the high-level committee on simultaneous elections in September. The chairman of this committee was former President Ram Nath Kovind. These recommendations were outlined in the report of a high-level committee headed by former President Kovind.

The committee had recommended implementing simultaneous elections in two phases. It was recommended to hold Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously in the first phase and to hold local body elections (Panchayats and Municipalities) within 100 days of the general elections in the second phase. The report also recommended creating a uniform voter list for all elections.