One Nation, One Election bill likely to be tabled in ongoing Winter Session

12 Dec 2024 Evaluate

The Union cabinet has approved the 'One Nation, One Election' Bill to be tabled in the Parliament in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. The bill will be referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

The bill paves way for unified elections across the nation. The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the implementation of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ in September this year to conduct simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies in a phased approach. The high-level committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind submitted the report in March before the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. Placing the report before the Cabinet was a part of the law ministry's 110-day agenda.

Following the cabinet’s approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the decision, calling it a significant step towards enhancing India’s democracy. PM said, ‘I complement our former President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji, for spearheading this effort and consulting a wide range of stakeholders. This is an important step towards making our democracy even more vibrant and participative’.

Earlier on Wednesday, former President of India Ram Nath Kovind had said, ‘The Central government will have to build consensus. This issue is not in the interest of any party but the nation. It (One Nation, One Election) will be a game-changer--it's not my opinion but that of economists, who believe that after its implementation, the country's GDP will rise by 1-1.5 per cent’.

While, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also extended his support on Wednesday for holding simultaneous elections to the state assemblies and the Lok Sabha, arguing that frequent elections lead to significant wastage of time and public funds.


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