New Delhi: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on One Nation, One Election will convene its first meeting on Wednesday.
The JPC is tasked with reviewing the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aim to synchronise national and state elections.
The primary focus of Wednesday’s meeting will be to introduce the committee members to the two key bills. Officials from the Ministry of Law & Justice (Legislative Department) will brief the committee on the provisions of the proposed laws. The meeting has been called by JPC Chairman P.P. Chaudhary.
The One Nation, One Election Bills were presented in the Lok Sabha on December 17. The JPC, chaired by BJP’s P.P. Chaudhary, consists of 39 members, including 27 from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha.
The committee has been formed to assess the proposed legislation on ‘One Nation, One Election.’ Its main objective will be to evaluate the feasibility and framework for conducting simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.
The JPC will also review proposals to synchronize elections in Union Territories like Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir with the Lok Sabha elections.
The committee’s members include Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Congress), Anurag Thakur and Anil Baluni (BJP), as well as opposition leaders such as Kalyan Banerjee (TMC) and Dharmendra Yadav (Samajwadi Party). The committee’s discussions and recommendations will be crucial in shaping India’s electoral process.
The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Law Minister Arjun Meghwal after a nearly 90-minute debate. Following a vote, the Bill was introduced with 269 MPs in favor and 198 against. The Bills were later sent to the committee for further review.
Lok Sabha MPs in the committee include PP Chaudhary, CM Ramesh, Bansuri Swaraj, Parshottam Rupala, Anurag Singh Thakur, Vishnu Dayal Ram, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Sambit Patra, Anil Baluni, Vishnu Datt Sharma, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Manish Tewari, Sukhdeo Bhagat, Dharmendra Yadav, Kalyan Banerjee, TM Selvaganapathi, GM Harish Balayogi, Supriya Sule, Shrikant Shinde, Chandan Chauhan, and Balashowry Vallabhaneni.
While the government supports simultaneous elections as a way to streamline governance and reduce costs, opposition parties have expressed concerns about its potential effects on the federal structure. The JPC will play a crucial role in addressing these concerns and working towards building a consensus on this significant electoral reform.
