'One Nation, One Election' Bill Tabled In Lok Sabha

A bill to amend the Constitution to implement 'One Nation, One Election' was tabled by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The bill mandates for elections to be held in two phases, starting with the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, followed by local body elections within 100 days.

The cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the report of the Ram Nath Kovind Committee on One Country One Election in September.

The Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies favour the Bill, however major opposition parties, including Congress, Trinamool Congress, and MK Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, oppose it.The 'One Nation, One Election' Bill is supported by 32 political parties, while 15 oppose it.

Former President Ram Nath Kovind convened a high-level group that advocated having municipal and panchayat elections in a phased manner with the national and state elections.

While the opposition has slammed the bill stating it is a "move towards dictatorship", the government holds that simultaneous polls will cut spending in the long term. Different sections of the country will be exempt from the Model Code of Conduct throughout the year due to various polls. 

From 1951 to 1967, the country held simultaneous votes. Since 1983, the concept of simultaneous elections has appeared in numerous publications and studies.