New Delhi: A major update has come out during the monsoon session of Parliament. According to reports, the bill related to 'One Nation, One Election' will not be presented in this session, so it will not be discussed. It is also learned that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) set up to examine the bill will have to submit its report by the first day of the last week of the winter session of Parliament.
It should be noted that since the beginning of the Monsoon session, speculations were being made that the government may present the 'One Nation, One Election' bill during this time, but now it has become clear that the constitutional amendment bill related to it will not be presented in the current session. The tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) constituted to examine the bill has also been extended, after which the committee will submit its report by the first day of the last week of the winter session. After the extension of the tenure of the JPC, it has also been made clear that the committee will not submit its report during the current monsoon session. In such a situation, the next action on the 'One Nation, One Election' bill is likely to proceed only after the JPC report is presented in the winter session.
'One Nation, One Election' means the system of holding elections to the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies at the same time. At present, Lok Sabha and state assembly elections are held at different times in the country. Apart from this, local elections are also held at different times in many states. Proponents of the proposal argue that holding elections simultaneously will reduce the impact of recurring code of conduct. Along with this, election expenses and the burden on administrative resources can also be reduced. They believe that this will allow governments to devote more time and attention to policy making and development projects.
It is worth noting that before implementing the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal, many complex questions need to be resolved. For example, if the term of a state government or central government ends prematurely, how will elections be scheduled? Will the new government be allowed to serve only for the remainder of the term? Apart from this, important issues like changes in the tenure of Lok Sabha and state assemblies, amendment of constitutional provisions and preparations of the Election Commission are also being considered. It is for these reasons that the examination and consideration of this bill is being considered as extremely important.