Vikrant Shekhawat : Dec 17, 2024, 10:35 AM
One Nation One Election: Today, on the 17th day of the winter session of Parliament, the government is going to introduce two important bills related to one country-one election in the Lok Sabha. Both the bills have been approved by the Union Cabinet on December 12 and now they will be introduced in Parliament. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will introduce this bill as the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill. According to sources, the government can send it to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to build consensus on this bill in Parliament. Another interesting thing about this bill is that both BJP and Shiv Sena have issued a three-line whip to their MPs, under which they have been instructed to participate in the discussion on this issue by being present in the House.Whose support is there from the government?The support of the allies of the ruling NDA is clearly seen in favor of the proposal of 'One Country-One Election'. The allies are standing with the government and this bill. Apart from this, opposition parties including Congress are opposing this bill. The opposition considers it not only unnecessary but also a step to divert attention from the real issues. Congress has issued a whip to all its Lok Sabha MPs, under which their presence in the House today has been made mandatory. The opposition also says that through this bill, the government is diverting attention from the real issues of the public and considering it a waste of time, it is also being termed unconstitutional.Arguments of the ruling party and the oppositionThere is a difference in the arguments of both the sides on this proposal. The supporting party says that this step will reduce the expenditure on elections and the election process will be more organized. They argue that if all the elections are held simultaneously, then the code of conduct will be implemented only once, which will also bring stability in the electoral activities. Apart from this, the number of votes can also increase, because elections will be held at the same time across the country.On the other hand, the opposition parties say that 'One Country-One Election' is against the Constitution and it does not match the basic structure of democracy. They believe that if the elections are held simultaneously, then there may be a lack of responsibility and accountability in the electoral process. Apart from this, elections held once in 5 years can lead to autocratic control of the government and can also hinder development work.The opposition also says that regional issues can be ignored in this process, which can suppress the voice of small states and communities. They believe that simultaneous elections can create an imbalance between big and small states.Recommendations of Ramnath Kovind CommitteeThe recommendations of the Ramnath Kovind Committee related to this bill are also important. The committee has suggested that the term of all the assemblies should be extended till 2029 and if any assembly is in a sensitive situation or there is no confidence vote, then re-elections should be held. In the first phase, Lok Sabha and state assembly elections should be held simultaneously and in the second phase, local body elections should be held within 100 days. Apart from this, the Election Commission will be given the responsibility of preparing a single voter list, so that the same list can be used for all elections.ConclusionThe proposal of 'One Country-One Election' can prove to be a turning point in Indian politics. While on one hand the ruling government is counting its benefits and considering it a measure to make the electoral process cheaper and effective, the opposition considers it against the principles of democracy and against the basic provisions of the Constitution. Now it will be interesting to see what decision is taken on this in the Parliament and how much it can be implemented practically and constitutionally.