‘One Nation, One Election’ bill can be presented in this session, plan to send it to JPC

New Delhi : After getting the approval of ‘One Nation, One Election’ from the Union Cabinet, the Central Government can present the bill related to it in the Parliament in this winter session or the next session. The Cabinet has already approved the Ramnath Kovind Committee report on ‘One Nation, One Election’. Sources said that the government now wants to build a consensus on the bill and may send it to the Joint Parliamentary Committee or JPC for detailed discussion. According to sources, the JPC will discuss with representatives of all political parties. Other stakeholders will also be included in this process. Regarding the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill, there is discussion that the Assembly Speakers of all the states along with constitutional experts can be included in this discussion. There is also a plan to seek public opinion on this bill.

,One Nation One Election‘Preparation to bring the bill

During the deliberations, key aspects of the Bill, its benefits and the methodology required for simultaneous elections across the country and election management will be discussed. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kiren Rijiju have been appointed with the responsibility of talks with opposition parties on this issue.

What is the government’s plan on the bill?

To implement ‘One Nation, One Election’, at least six bills will have to be brought to amend the Constitution and the government will need two-thirds majority in Parliament. NDA has a simple majority in both the houses of the Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. But, getting two-thirds majority in the House is a challenging step for the Central Government.

How will the matter be resolved in Parliament?

It is noteworthy that for constitutional amendment, Modi government will also need the cooperation of parties outside NDA. To amend the Constitution, it is necessary for 50 percent of the membership of the House as well as at least two-thirds of the members present in the House to vote in favor of the bill. Out of 245 seats in the Upper House i.e. Rajya Sabha, NDA has 112 seats and opposition parties have 85 seats. The government needs at least 164 votes for a two-thirds majority.

One country one election: The path is not easy but what is the government’s plan? What will be the process? understand each and every thing

Understand the mathematics of Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha

If we talk about Lok Sabha, NDA has 292 seats out of 545 and the two-third majority figure in this house is 364. In such a situation, the Central Government is working on an action plan to create consensus on this bill. The Kovind Committee was formed on 2 September 2023. The committee had prepared a 18,626-page report after 191 days of discussions with political parties and various stakeholders.

32 parties supported ‘One Nation, One Election’

The eight-member committee had also invited opinions from the general public. 21,558 suggestions were received from common people. Apart from this, 47 political parties also gave their opinions and suggestions, out of which 32 supported it. A total of 80 percent suggestions came in favor of ‘One Nation, One Election’. The committee had also taken suggestions from major industry organizations and economists of the country.

Does the government have numerical strength in Parliament? The path of ‘One Nation, One Election’ is not easy, know what are the challenges

When and how did the discussion begin?

The discussion about ‘One Nation, One Election’ first started in 1999, when the Law Commission in its 170th report suggested holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and assembly of all the states every five years. After this, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in its 79th report in 2015 had recommended holding elections simultaneously in two phases.

What are the suggestions in the Kovind Committee report?

The Kovind Committee has also suggested holding elections for Lok Sabha, Assembly and local bodies in two phases. The committee has said that in the first phase, it is proposed to hold Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously, while in the second phase, it is proposed to hold local body elections within 100 days.