One Nation, One Election: Amit Shah Pushes For Joint Committee For Bill

Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocated for a comprehensive discussion on the 'One Nation, One Election' bill at all levels and suggested that it be referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament.

Shah made these remarks in the Lok Sabha as the House was debating objections to the introduction of the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, which aims to implement simultaneous elections for the Lower House of Parliament and state assemblies.

Shah explained that when the bill was presented in the Cabinet, Prime Minister Modi had emphasised the need for it to be sent to a Joint Committee for detailed discussions at every stage. The Home Minister also noted that DMK member T. R. Baalu had supported the proposal to refer the bill to a parliamentary committee.

Shah said the bill can be discussed in greater detail in the Joint Committee of Parliament.

The report of the JPC will be approved by the Union Cabinet, and the bill can be discussed again in Parliament, he said.

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha and was tabled by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. The bill mandates 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.

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.