‘One Nation, One Election’ bill likely in Winter Session of Parliament: Report

The government is set to launch its ‘One Nation One Election’ initiative and may introduce a bill in Parliament during this session, according to sources cited by NDTV.

NDTV, citing sources, further reported that the Cabinet has already approved the Ram Nath Kovind Committee's report on the matter.

"The government now aims to build consensus on the bill and may refer it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for in-depth discussions," sources told NDTV.

Also Read: Explained: How will Centre implement One Nation One Election?

The government aims to engage the public, and the methods to accomplish this will be discussed at a later stage, sources told NDTV.

Continuing with its 'one nation, one election' initiative, the government accepted in September the recommendations of the high-level committee to conduct simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies in a phased approach.

As part of its 'one nation, one election' initiative, the government agreed in September to the recommendations of the high-level committee for conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies in phases, PTI reported.

PTI reported, citing sources, that one of the proposed bills will aim to amend Article 82A by adding a sub-clause (1) regarding the 'appointed date'. It will also propose inserting sub-clause (2) to Article 82A, which would address the simultaneous end of the terms for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

Also Read: Modi govt clears ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal: 10 key questions on simultaneous polls answered

In its report submitted to the government in March, just before the general election announcement, the panel recommended implementing "one nation, one election" in two phases.

However, there is still no clarity on the number of bills the government intends to introduce for conducting simultaneous elections across the country.

Also Read: ‘One Nation One Election’: How numbers stack up in Parliament. Can Modi govt secure the necessary votes?

It is to be further noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been a strong proponent of the ‘One Nation, One Election.’ In his Independence Day speech this year, Modi again called for an end to the ‘disruption’ caused by frequent elections that, he said, was hindering the country’s progress.

The BJP has been pushing to hold simultaneous elections since it came to power in 2014. The NITI Aayog backed the proposal in 2017, and next year, the then President, Ram Nath Kovind, mentioned it in his address to the joint session of Parliament.

(With inputs from agencies)