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| BJP forced to passed 'One Nation, One Election' bill in Indian parliament | Photo: ANI |
If this bill becomes a law, local government elections like the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha can also be held simultaneously along with the elections for the municipalities and panchayats. The government's argument is that if this is done, not only will there not be a huge expenditure on the elections, but development work at all levels will not be disrupted. According to the model code of conduct, the government cannot take any policy decisions after the elections are announced. It cannot even start new development work. The government believes that this has damaged the country's economy. Because, development is halted somewhere or the other throughout the year due to elections. As a result, project costs increase.
The Law Minister introduced two bills for this purpose on Tuesday. One is the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill, and the other is the Union Territories Act Amendment Bill. The opposition opposed both the bills simultaneously. They said that this bill is attacking the basic structure of the Constitution and is against the constitutional ideals. Apart from that, questions have also been raised about the passage of the bill. To pass a Constitution Amendment Bill, the consent of two-thirds of the members in both the houses is required, which the government does not have in the Rajya Sabha. When it is not there, the question has been raised as to why the government has taken the initiative in this matter.
The Law Minister, without commenting on the matter, said that this bill is part of electoral reform. This bill will not harm the basic structure of the constitution.
The BJP's two new allies, the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, have agreed to the bill. Despite this, the opposition believes that many parties, including the Biju Janata Dal and the YSR Congress, which are not allies of the BJP but have supported them in various ways in the past, will not agree to the bill. Anticipating opposition, the government has decided to send the two bills to the JPC for further discussion. Due to the majority, the ruling party will have more members in that committee. The JPC will have to give its final verdict on the bill within 90 days.
To pass a constitutional amendment bill, in addition to the consent of two-thirds of the members in both houses of parliament, the approval of half of the country's states is required. There is still some doubt whether the BJP will be able to muster that support. However, they are keen to pass this bill for political reasons. The Narendra Modi government wants to show that they are not averse to tough reforms in the interest of the country's political stability and economic progress.
However, the opposition claims that this bill is against the federal structure and parliamentary democracy. The Modi government is thus trying to establish a one-party rule in the country.
Even if the two bills are passed, the Lok Sabha and assembly elections along with the local government elections will not be held anywhere in the country before 2034. The draft bill sent to the members states that the day the first Lok Sabha session is held after the next Lok Sabha election will be considered as the 'Appointed Day'. The term of the new government will be five years from that day.
From that time, preparations will be made to hold assembly elections in all states along with the next Lok Sabha elections. The next Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held by April-May-June 2029. The term of that government will be five years from the day the first session of the Lok Sabha is held after that election. After the preparation of those five years, the elections will be held simultaneously. Accordingly, this bill will come into effect from 2034. Local administration elections like municipalities and panchayats will have to be held within 100 days of that election.
In Indian democracy, many times the central and state governments cannot complete their five-year term. What is the solution in the new system if that happens, the new bill has also been informed. It has been said that if the central or state government falls due to lack of majority, new elections will be held for the remaining period. That is, if the government falls two, three or four years before the end of the five-year term, elections will be held for the remaining period.
The BJP has been demanding the implementation of the 'One Nation, One Election' policy for a long time. Lal Krishna Advani was vocal in favor of this policy even during the Vajpayee government. Narendra Modi is keen to do what the BJP could not do for so many years. That is why he formed a committee under the leadership of former President Ram Nath Kovind. That committee also gave its opinion in favor of implementing this policy. Now, it remains to be seen whether the Modi government succeeds in achieving its goal or not.