One nation one election: JPC deliberates on stakeholders to be invited for consultation

JPC chairman P P Chaudhary “suggested” that the panel could ask the Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission (UGC) to instruct educational institutions to hold debate competitions for creating awareness. He also said the panel could seek the results from the institutions, sources said.

New Delhi: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on simultaneous polls met here on Friday to discuss the modalities and stakeholders to be invited for consultation on the ‘One Nation, One Election Bills’.

Sources said a suggestion to hold debate competitions in schools and colleges on simultaneous polls met with objections from Opposition MPs, who claimed that it was improper to enter into a ‘for and against’ format on the issue and argued for substantive arguments.

Trinamool Congress’ Saket Gokhale, sources said, objected to the proposal by JPC chairman P P Chaudhary, saying it was improper for the panel to suggest so when they are examining the Bill and it is up to the government to take up the assignment of creating awareness.

Chaudhary “suggested” that the panel could ask the Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission (UGC) to instruct educational institutions to hold debate competitions for creating awareness. He also said the panel could seek the results from the institutions, sources said.

Gokhale, who received support from Opposition parties like Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Samajwadi Party, argued that such a move at this stage would make the work of the panel redundant, as they would be creating awareness about something that is non-existent.

He said his party is against any “for and against” format during the consultation process on The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Among the categories of stakeholders to be invited, the mention of “celebrities” attracted objection from BJP MP Ghanshyam Tewari who, according to sources, who wondered about the utility of calling them, as they are one group which generally do not even go out to vote.

The argument cited for calling celebrities was creating awareness, which was again objected by Opposition MPs. The MPs have been given time till February 14 to suggest which all stakeholders could be called.

In a letter to Chaudhary, DMK member P Wilson said the committee should call representatives from national and regional parties, state governments, Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners, former CECs, Finance Secretary, former Supreme Court and High Court judges, state police chiefs, senior lawyers, Bar Associations, financial analysists, election law specialists, civil society and academicians, among others.

The Opposition MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Manish Tewari and Kalyan Banerjee, also demanded that verbatim of committee’s proceedings be circulated among them. Chaudhary said he would refer the issue to Speaker Om Birla’s decision.

The MPs, which also included those from SP, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and DMK, argued that they could correct their remarks. Sources said Manish Tewari and others cited rules as well as conventions followed before 2014 to buttress their argument.