One Nation One Election bill to be tabled in Lok Sabha on Dec 17; likely to be referred to joint panel

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government will introduce two 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) bills in Lok Sabha on Tuesday and is likely to send it to a Joint Committee of Parliament for further scrutiny.

The Revised List of Business for Tuesday, which is uploaded on Lok Sabha website and circulated among MPs, reflects the inclusion of The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 for introduction in the Lower House by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Sources said the government is all set to urge Speaker Om Birla to send the Bill to a joint committee with members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The government had earlier reversed its decision to introduce the two Bills on Monday within hours of indicating its intention to do so.

With the two crucial bills coming up in Lok Sabha, the BJP has issued a Whip to its MPs asking them to be present in the House during the day. It has said “some important legislative business” will be taken up in Lok Sabha. Congress has also issued a Whip to its MPs asking them to be present in the House.

Several Opposition parties, including Congress, DMK and Trinamool Congress, are opposed to the Bill. Sources said several Opposition MPs, including RSP’s NK Premachandran, would be submitting notices to oppose the introduction of the Bills in Lok Sabha.

It is to be seen whether they would insist on voting on their notices to oppose the introduction.

The two bills to enable simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assemblies were cleared by a meeting of the Union Cabinet last week. It seeks to provide for a “midterm” polls for Parliament or a state in case a government falls but it will only be for the “unexpired” portion of the five-year fixed term.

The imposition of a Model Code of Conduct in poll-bound states or regions puts the entire development programmes and causes disruption of normal public life is cited as one of the reasons for simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.