One Nation, One Election bill sent to JPC after division vote amid Opposition uproar

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday conducted a division vote to introduce two bills aimed at amending the Constitution to enable simultaneous federal and state elections, a cornerstone of the ruling BJP's 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) initiative. The bills were passed by a simple majority, with 269 MPs voting in favour and 198 opposing them, as per parliamentary procedure.

The ONOE bill seeks to synchronise Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections by aligning their tenures. This has been a long-standing electoral promise of the BJP-led NDA.

The bill was referred to a joint parliamentary committee after the division vote. The JPC will be formed on a pro-rata basis reflecting each party's strength in the Lok Sabha. As the largest party, the BJP is likely to secure the chairmanship and multiple seats on the committee, a senior official said. The Speaker will invite parties to submit nominees for the proposed panel, warning that failure to do so could result in losing representation. The panel's composition is expected to be finalised by Tuesday evening. Initially, the committee's tenure will be 90 days, though extensions may be granted if required.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024—commonly referred to as the One Nation, One Election Bill—and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aims to synchronise elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, and the NCT of Delhi.

The Union Cabinet had already approved the bills aimed at holding concurrent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Former President Ram Nath Kovind, during earlier consultations, revealed that 32 parties supported the proposal while 15 opposed it. Simultaneous elections were the norm in India between 1951 and 1967 and have since been recommended in various reports and studies, beginning with the 1983 Law Commission report.

Opposition protests
Opposition parties, led by Congress, demanded the bill’s withdrawal, terming it “anti-constitutional and anti-democratic.” Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asserted that the bill undermines federalism and violates constitutional principles.

Responding to these claims, Home Minister Amit Shah accused Congress of habitually opposing progressive legislation. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key BJP ally, extended strong support to the bill, arguing that it would ease India’s fiscal burden and reduce electoral expenses by over 40%.

However, vocal criticism came from parties like the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), and AIMIM. They condemned the bill as an attack on the Constitution, accusing the government of attempting to impose authoritarianism and eliminate regional parties. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi argued that the bill favours a specific party and warned it could pave the way for a presidential-style government.

Prominent opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, and MK Stalin, have strongly opposed the proposal, calling it a move towards “authoritarian democracy.”