The central government may introduce the “one country, one election” bill in this session
The Narendra Modi government at the Center continues to be active on “One Nation, One Election”. The government is also continuously working on this aspect. Sources said the government can only introduce bills related to the One Nation One Election principle in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
Government-related sources believe the bill could also be sent to a joint parliamentary committee for detailed discussion. The government hopes to reach consensus on the bill. To this end, detailed discussions will be held with all stakeholders. The JPC will hold discussions with representatives of all political parties. In addition, the Speakers of the various state assemblies may also be summoned. Along with enlightened minds across the country, the views of civil society will also be considered in this regard.
What recommendations did the Kovind Committee make?
During the previous term, the government formed a committee headed by former President Ramnath Kovind to take forward the ambitious plan by September 2023. The Kovind Committee submitted its recommendations to the government in March, just before the Lok Sabha elections were announced to be held in April-May. The central government accepted the committee’s recommendations some time ago. In its report, the committee recommended holding elections in two phases.
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The committee recommended holding Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the first phase. While in the second phase, local body elections are proposed.
Citizen elections require 50% support
One of the proposed constitutional amendments is to link elections to local bodies with the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly, although this would require the support of at least 50% of the states.
The bill on “one country, one election” will amend the dissolution of parliament and Article 327, and add the words “one country, one election”. For this, the support of 50% of the states is not required.
Under the Constitution, the Electoral Commission and state elections are independent bodies. The Election Commission is responsible for the elections of the President, Vice President, Lok Sabha, House of Federation, State Assembly and State Legislative Council, while the State Election Commission is responsible for the elections of municipal governments and panchayat committees in the state.
