Latest news with #129thConstitutionalAmendmentBill
Canada Standard
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Canada Standard
One Nation One Election will open new avenues, speed up country's development: Kalraj Mishra
New Delhi [India] June 14, (ANI): Endorsing the One Nation One Election (ONOE) initiative, senior BJP leader and former Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has said it will not only reduce election-related expenses but also speed up the country's development by opening new avenues. Addressing an event at the Constitution Club in the national capital on Friday evening, Mishra said Lok Sabha and assembly polls were done simultaneously without any hiccup till 1967, since the first polls in independent India in 1952, as everyone was in support of simultaneous polls, be it the then ruling Congress or Communist parties. 'Everyone supported it, beyond political affiliations, be it then Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru or, Communist leaders...,' the former union minister said. He said the trend was 'broken' due to many reasons. 'It was broken as some new states were formed, and their assembly elections were held... then ruling Congress dismissed the opposition ruled state governments by misusing Article 356; general elections were preponed in 1972... term of Lok Sabha was also increased by an year to 6 years during Emergency...,' said Mishra said, who was the Governor of Rajasthan from 2019 to 2024. Simultaneous polls across the country will significantly reduce poll expenditure and manpower. This is not about any political party, ONOE is 'essential for the country's development,' he stressed. Mishra said it is fully 'according to the Constitution' and said the opposition parties should be asked which schedule of the Constitution forbids the ONOE. The senior leader recalled that even in 1983, the Election Commission felt the need to rethink on the simultaneous polls and said it was essential for the country. He said NITI Aayog in 2016, and other government commissions have also endorsed the ONOE. The 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill for simultaneous national and assembly polls was tabled in the Lok Sabha in December last. It was later referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. The Modi government had formed a High-level Committee on simultaneous Elections, under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind, who submitted over 18,000-page report to President Droupadi Murmu in March last year. Earlier, the former governor condoled the loss of lives in the deadly crash of London-bound Air India plane in Ahmedabad on Thursday. He also remembered the former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani who also died in the deadly crash. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national. (ANI)
India Gazette
14-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
One Nation One Election will open new avenues, speed up country's development: Kalraj Mishra
New Delhi [India] June 14, (ANI): Endorsing the One Nation One Election (ONOE) initiative, senior BJP leader and former Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has said it will not only reduce election-related expenses but also speed up the country's development by opening new avenues. Addressing an event at the Constitution Club in the national capital on Friday evening, Mishra said Lok Sabha and assembly polls were done simultaneously without any hiccup till 1967, since the first polls in independent India in 1952, as everyone was in support of simultaneous polls, be it the then ruling Congress or Communist parties. 'Everyone supported it, beyond political affiliations, be it then Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru or, Communist leaders...,' the former union minister said. He said the trend was 'broken' due to many reasons. 'It was broken as some new states were formed, and their assembly elections were held... then ruling Congress dismissed the opposition ruled state governments by misusing Article 356; general elections were preponed in 1972... term of Lok Sabha was also increased by an year to 6 years during Emergency...,' said Mishra said, who was the Governor of Rajasthan from 2019 to 2024. Simultaneous polls across the country will significantly reduce poll expenditure and manpower. This is not about any political party, ONOE is 'essential for the country's development,' he stressed. Mishra said it is fully 'according to the Constitution' and said the opposition parties should be asked which schedule of the Constitution forbids the ONOE. The senior leader recalled that even in 1983, the Election Commission felt the need to rethink on the simultaneous polls and said it was essential for the country. He said NITI Aayog in 2016, and other government commissions have also endorsed the ONOE. The 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill for simultaneous national and assembly polls was tabled in the Lok Sabha in December last. It was later referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. The Modi government had formed a High-level Committee on simultaneous Elections, under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind, who submitted over 18,000-page report to President Droupadi Murmu in March last year. Earlier, the former governor condoled the loss of lives in the deadly crash of London-bound Air India plane in Ahmedabad on Thursday. He also remembered the former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani who also died in the deadly crash. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national. (ANI)
Hans India
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
2034 earliest for simultaneous polls under existing Bills
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre's ambitious 'One Nation, One Election' initiative, which seeks to synchronise elections for the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha, is unlikely to be implemented before 2034, according to BJP MP PP Chaudhary, who is chairing the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the proposed Bill. Chaudhary said the simultaneous elections could be held under the existing Bills only in 2034, and the committee may go beyond the draft law to suggest ways to keep polls aligned, including recommending a provision for a constructive or positive vote of no-confidence. The 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill, approved by the Union Cabinet in December 2024, outlined a framework for simultaneous national and state-level elections. The Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha in December 2024, and just a few days later, it was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. The One Nation, One Election draws from the recommendations of the High-level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind. He submitted a 18,626-page report to President Droupadi Murmu in March 2024. But despite the Centre's legislative push, India is unlikely to see simultaneous polls before 2034, as the timeline depends on complex logistical, legal, and political preparations, a point recently reiterated by the JPC Chairperson. In a recent interview, when asked about the timeline for the first simultaneous elections, Chaudhary said: "The committee will deliberate; Parliament will decide. We can't say when, but the Bill says the first session of Parliament. If it happens with the appointed date, then it would be from 2034". The primary reason the One Nation, One Election plan can't be enforced before 2034 is because of how the Bill is structured. The Bill proposes adding a new Article 82A to the Constitution. This article would let the President announce an "appointed date" during the first sitting of a newly-elected Lok Sabha. But since the first sitting of the current (18th) Lok Sabha commenced in 2024, it could be done next in 2029. Following the President's notification of the appointed date, the terms of state legislative assemblies elected thereafter will be curtailed to synchronise with the five-year term of the Lok Sabha commencing in 2029. This means that any state assembly elected after the appointed date -- whether its term begins in 2031 or 2033 -- will have to end by 2034, so that its next election can align with the Lok Sabha cycle starting that year. So, the next opportunity for the President to notify would come only after the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. If the Bill passes by then, the next Lok Sabha will run until 2034, and that's when simultaneous elections could begin. Apart from this, there are other significant challenges as well. For the One Nation, One Election Bill to become law, it must be passed by a two-thirds majority by both houses of Parliament. After enactment, it would also have to be ratified by at least 50% of state legislatures, which looks like a challenging task given the National Democratic Alliance's numbers in Parliament. While the NDA holds a little over 290 seats in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha, it falls short of the two-thirds majority required -- 364 in the Lok Sabha and 164 in the Rajya Sabha -- to pass the Bill. Therefore, the Narendra Modi-led Centre will need support from parties outside its coalition, a point emphasised by Chaudhary, who said, "parties who think of the national interest would support the Bills". From the perspective of ratification by state and Union Territory Assemblies, as of June 2025, the NDA holds power in 20 of India's 30 legislative assemblies, while the INDIA bloc governs 10, a number that works in the NDA's favour.
India Today
10-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Why One Nation, One Election might have to wait till 2034
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre's ambitious One Nation, One Election initiative, which seeks to synchronise elections for the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha, is unlikely to be implemented before 2034, according to BJP MP PP Chaudhary, who is chairing the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the proposed 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill, approved by the Union Cabinet in December 2024, outlined a framework for simultaneous national and state-level elections. The Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha in December 2024, and just a few days later, it was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which BJP's Pali MP, Chaudhary, is One Nation, One Election draws from the recommendations of the High-level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind. He submitted a 18,626-page report to President Droupadi Murmu in March 2024. But despite the Centre's legislative push, India is unlikely to see simultaneous polls before 2034, as the timeline depends on complex logistical, legal, and political preparations, a point recently reiterated by the JPC ONOE CAN'T HAPPEN BEFORE 2034In a recent interview with The Indian Express, when asked about the timeline for the first simultaneous elections, PP Chaudhary said: "The committee will deliberate; Parliament will decide. We can't say when, but the Bill says the first session of Parliament. If it happens with the appointed date, then it would be from 2034".The primary reason the One Nation, One Election plan can't be enforced before 2034 is because of how the Bill is structured. The Bill proposes adding a new Article 82A to the Constitution. This article would let the President announce an "appointed date" during the first sitting of a newly-elected Lok Sabha. But since the first sitting of the current (18th) Lok Sabha commenced in 2024, it could be done next in the President's notification of the appointed date, the terms of state legislative assemblies elected thereafter will be curtailed to synchronise with the five-year term of the Lok Sabha commencing in means that any state assembly elected after the appointed date -- whether its term begins in 2031 or 2033 -- will have to end by 2034, so that its next election can align with the Lok Sabha cycle starting that the next opportunity for the President to notify would come only after the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. If the Bill passes by then, the next Lok Sabha will run until 2034, and that's when simultaneous elections could ELSE IS HOLDING BACK ONOEApart from this, there are other significant challenges as the One Nation, One Election Bill to become law, it must be passed by a two-thirds majority by both houses of Parliament. After enactment, it would also have to be ratified by at least 50% of state legislatures, which looks like a challenging task given the National Democratic Alliance's numbers in the NDA holds a little over 290 seats in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha, it falls short of the two-thirds majority required -- 364 in the Lok Sabha and 164 in the Rajya Sabha -- to pass the the Narendra Modi-led Centre will need support from parties outside its coalition, a point emphasised by Chaudhary, who said, "parties who think of the national interest would support the Bills".From the perspective of ratification by state and Union Territory assemblies, as of June 2025, the NDA holds power in 20 of India's 30 legislative assemblies, while the INDIA bloc governs 10, a number that works in the NDA's getting the Bill through Parliament will require extensive deliberation, and there's always the possibility that the numbers may shift over there are logistical and financial challenges Election Commission of India (ECI) needs to double the number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and upgrade infrastructure to conduct simultaneous elections. The ECI estimated that it would need Rs 10,000 crore every 15 years for new EVMs if simultaneous polls were to be held, reported news agency by 2029, numbers may change, and building consensus after extensive consultation would be required. This challenge is reflected in the plans of the 39-member parliamentary panel, led by Chaudhary, which is set to visit all states and Union Territories over the next two to two-and-a-half years and gather feedback on the proposed Watch
