New Delhi: The government is preparing to bring a bill in the Parliament regarding “One Nation, One Election.” According to sources within the government, three bills will be brought forth, two of which will need to amend the Constitution.
However, it is still uncertain whether these bills will be presented during the winter session or the budget session of Parliament. A final decision on this is expected to be made soon.
Proposal to hold assembly elections along with Lok Sabha
Modi cabinet had already approved the suggestions made by the Ramnath Kovind Committee regarding this electoral reform. The committee’s report suggestd conducting elections in two phases.
In the first phase, the committee has recommended that Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) and Vidhan Sabha (state assemblies) elections be held together. The second phase would involve local body elections.
One of the proposed constitutional amendment bills aimed to integrate local body elections with those of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. For this bill to pass, support from at least 50 percent of the states is necessary.
The first constitutional amendment bill would enable simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. This bill plans to include a new sub-section related to the ‘appointed date’ and suggests an amendment to Article 82A. It also proposes ending the terms of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and includes amendments to Article 83(2). Additionally, the bill will modify Article 327 to provide for the dissolution of assemblies and will include the term “simultaneous elections.”
This particular bill will not need the support of 50 percent of the states.
Government will introduce a bill to amend the Constitution
Meanwhile, the second constitutional amendment bill will require backing from half of the state assemblies. The bill proposes that the Election Commission will recommend the preparation of voter lists in collaboration with the State Election Commissions for local body elections. This is crucial as, constitutionally, the Election Commission and State Election Commission are recognized as two separate entities.
The Election Commission oversees elections for various high offices, including the President and Lok Sabha, while the State Election Commission is responsible for elections for local bodies like municipalities and panchayats.
The second constitutional amendment bill will add Article 324A, which provides for simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, as well as for municipalities and panchayats.
The third bill will be an ordinary bill that aims to modify the laws applicable to Union Territories with assemblies, such as Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu and Kashmir. Since this is an ordinary bill, it does not require a constitutional amendment or support from the states.
Just before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections expected in March, Ram Nath Kovind Committee had submitted its recommendations, which the central government had recently accepted.
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