'One Nation, One Election' To Be A Reality Soon? Centre Decides To Table Bill In Parliament's Winter Session

One Nation, One Election: The Centre has decided to table the Bill to introduce the 'one nation, one election' policy in the winter session.

One Nation, One Election: The central Cabinet on Wednesday, September 18, took a big decision on the 'one nation, one election' policy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet has decided that the Bill will be presented in Parliament in the next session and will be enacted as a law after passage and the President's assent.

The decision was taken after studying a report submitted by the committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind. The committee had submitted the report on simultaneous elections in India just before the Lok Sabha elections. The committee studied various aspects and weighed the pros and cons of conducting elections simultaneously. It then recommended hosting Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together (just as in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim this year) and then conducting the local body polls within 100 days.

The panel, formed in September last year, also suggested that an 'implementation group' be formed to look into the execution of its recommendations. The Kovind-led panel said that the 'one nation, one election' policy, if implemented, will help save resources and help in the development of "India that is Bharat".

What Does 'One Nation, One Election' Mean?

The 'One Nation, One Election' policy proposes simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. For now, there are some states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim that go to polls at the same time as the Lok Sabha polls. The other assembly elections being held or to be conducted this year are those in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand.

While syncing these elections with the Lok Sabha polls won't be much of a problem, getting the other states to follow the same routine would be a big task as every state follows its own cycle.

However, if the 'One Nation, One Election' Bill is passed, all state elections would be held along with the Lok Sabha polls, possibly on the same day.

Another hurdle would be amending the Constitution of India. If the Bill is tabled at the winter session of Parliament, it will need a Constitutional amendment, which, in turn, would need clearance by 67% of the Lok Sabha members, 67% of the Rajya Sabha members, and 50% of the state legislatures.

(This is a developing copy and will be updated as details come in.)