Ahead of the bill’s tabling, the BJP has issued a three-line whip, directing all its Lok Sabha MPs to be present.
New Delhi: The central government on Tuesday introduced the “One Nation One Election” Bill in the Lok Sabha. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the two key bills during the session: The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 — commonly referred to as the ONOE Bill — and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill. Ahead of the bill’s tabling, the BJP has issued a three-line whip, directing all its Lok Sabha MPs to be present.
“Laws can be brought in for electoral reforms… this bill is aligned with the process of easing the electoral process, which will be synchronised. There will be no damage to the Constitution via this Bill. There will be no tampering with the basic structure of the Constitution,” Meghwal said. “We are not tampering with the powers of the states,” he asserted, after which he proposed that the bill be sent to a joint parliamentary committee – as was expected – for wider consultation.
Home minister Amit Shah said that when the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill was taken up in the cabinet for approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that the bill be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions.
