‘One Nation, One Election’ Nod Invites Opposition Wrath

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Opposition Fumes at Govt Hurriedly Approving election bill

By Raisina Correspondent

New Delhi, December 12: Union Cabinet in its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave nod to the legislative bill to give effect to the idea of ‘one nation, one election’. The government is likely to bring the bill before the Lok Sabha next week.

The bill to give effect to the ‘one nation, one election’ got the Cabinet nod after a High-Level Committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind had submitted its report. The committee favoured holding simultaneous elections in the country.

The Kovind Committee had in its report argued for holding simultaneous elections from the Lok Sabha to the Local Bodies. The bill amending several existing laws related to the elections is likely to be referred to the joint parliamentary committee (JPC).

The government is hopeful of pushing the bill for the approval of parliament by Monsoon session next year. The government also appears inclined to hold simultaneous elections in the country from 2029 generation polls.

The Census 2021 is yet to begin which is key to holding the next delimitation exercise in the country. The government is likely to get the delimitation exercise rolling by 2026 by when the Census report will be made available. Regional parties from the southern states are apprehensive that the representations of South will substantially go down in the Lok Sabha as the basis of the delimitation will be population.

“The Union Cabinet has bulldozed their way through with the unconstitutional and anti-federal One Nation, One Election Bill, ignoring every legitimate concern raised by experts and opposition leaders,” said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a post on X. She said that “this is not a carefully-considered reform; it’s an authoritarian imposition designed to undermine India’s democracy and federal structure”.

“Our MPs will oppose this draconian legislation tooth and nail in Parliament. Bengal will NEVER bow to Delhi’s dictatorial whims. This fight is about saving India’s democracy from the clutches of autocracy,” said Banerjee.

The Congress communication department chief Jairam Ramesh in a post on X said that the “Union Cabinet has cleared the Bill on ‘One Nation One Election’. The views of the Indian National Congress on this subject had been forcefully articulated by president Mallikarjun Kharge”.

Ramesh said that while “Kharge wrote the letter on 17th January 2024, nothing has happened since then to modify them”. Kharge in his letter had stated that the Kovind Committee report was premeditated and the Opposition voices were not heard while finalising the recommendations.

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