Govt defers Bill on One Nation, One Election

Highlights

Lok Sabha to take up financial business first

New Delhi: The NDA government has decided to defer the introduction of the One Nation One Election Bill on Monday.

Government sources indicate that the bills may be introduced later this week, following the completion of financial business, including the passage of the first batch of supplementary demands for grants, which are listed for discussion on Monday.

Despite their removal from Monday's schedule, the government retains the option of bringing in legislative proposals through 'Supplementary List of Business' with the Speaker's permission.

On Thursday, the Union Cabinet approved the Bill and the same was circulated to MPs on Friday evening.

The two bills are aimed at facilitating simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The Winter Session of Parliament, which began on December 4, is set to conclude on December 20.

It was expected that the Parliament would witness a stormy session on Monday leading to disruption of the house preventing the introduction of the bill while the government may try to go ahead with tabling it. But the government in a strategic move decided to defer the introduction to a later date. The first amendment Bill was to conduct simultaneous elections of Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, and another Bill was for aligning the elections for Assemblies in Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Puducherry. Sources say that there are two possibilities. One is to bulldoze and pass the bill when introduced and the second is to refer it to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. In case it is referred to JPC, the Parliament may discuss and pass it during the budget session which commences from February 1.

The Congress and INDIA bloc have expressed their opposition to the bill. According to the Congress Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, it will not stand the scrutiny of the apex court. “It is superficially appealing concept, especially to the drawing room and chattering classes,” he said.

But another legal expert Harish Salve who is also a member of the committee headed by former president Ramnath Kovind which drafted the feasibility report on One Nation One Election said that the report has been prepared keeping all Constitutional issues in view and was certain that the Supreme Court will uphold it. The report suggested that simultaneous elections could ensure policy stability, alleviate voter fatigue, and boost electoral participation.

The Bill will enable the reservation of seats in accordance with Article 332 of the Constitution for effective democratic participation of members of Scheduled Tribes and to provide for the readjustment of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa, in so far, such readjustment is necessitated by the inclusion of certain communities in the list of the Scheduled Tribes in the State of Goa.