Lucknow, July 13 (IANS) BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Monday said that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ legislation is consulting political parties and government officials across the country to gather suggestions before finalising its report on simultaneous elections.

The committee is currently in Lucknow as part of its nationwide consultations on the proposed electoral reform.

Speaking to IANS in Lucknow, Thakur said, “The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation, One Election’ visited several states to consult with political parties, government officials, and civil society regarding the government’s proposed bill, seeking suggestions or amendments to improve it. The objective is to enable simultaneous elections for Legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha across the country.”

He said the existing electoral system results in repeated disruptions to governance because of the frequent enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.

“Currently, the repeated imposition of the Model Code of Conduct over a five-year period disrupts governance and stalls investments or development projects; furthermore, the electoral cycle often overshadows other critical administrative tasks, as vast numbers of personnel are diverted to election duties,” Thakur said.

Highlighting the differing viewpoints surrounding the proposal, the BJP leader said there is substantial data supporting the concept of simultaneous elections, although political parties continue to hold divergent opinions on the issue.

“While there is significant data supporting the ‘One Nation, One Election’ concept and the benefits of involving so many people in this process, political parties hold varying views; some fear that national issues might dominate the discourse if simultaneous elections are held and the regional issues might not be highlighted. Despite these differing arguments, a large number of people support the ‘One Nation, One Election’ initiative,” he added.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee is expected to finalise and adopt its report during its meeting scheduled for July 17 before submitting it to Parliament for further consideration.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, forms the legislative basis for the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ reform, which seeks to synchronise elections to the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies across the country.

Alongside it, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has also been introduced as part of the broader legislative framework designed to facilitate the implementation of simultaneous elections in the Union Territories.

The JPC is presently scrutinising both the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, examining their provisions and seeking inputs from a wide range of stakeholders before submitting its recommendations.

Both Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17, 2024, and were subsequently referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee for detailed examination. Together, they aim to lay the legal and constitutional foundation for conducting simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies throughout the country.

–IANS

sd/