‘One Nation One Election’ in Lok Sabha Today, Then to JPC

Lok Sabha is going to be heated again as the controversial ‘One Nation One Election’ Bill is likely to be tabled in the Lok Sabha today (17th December) while the Rajya Sabha will see the continuation of the debate on the “Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India” for the second day.

The Bill is expected to be introduced by the Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. After its introduction, Meghwal will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to be constituted based on the number of seats held by various parties for wider consultation.

As the single largest party in the House, the BJP will chair the to-be-formed committee and also have the maximum share of the seats. Committee members are likely to be announced by the day's end. The initial term will be 90 days, but this may be extended, as per media reports.

Last week the Union Cabinet cleared two bills in order to amend the Constitution and allow the ruling BJP to implement the 'one nation, one election' proposal. The bills and the amendments were recommended by a panel led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, and with Home Minister Amit Shah as a member, in a report filed in September.

One amendment was to Article 82 that deals with state-wise allocation of Lok Sabha seats, as well as division of states into territorial constituencies, after each national census.

The other amendment is related to link the tenures of the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. There will also be changes to provisions in three laws, in order to align the legislative assemblies of three union territories - Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir - with those of states and the Lok Sabha.