In a big step towards “One Nation, One Election,” the government has chosen 12 members from the Rajya Sabha to join a special committee. This committee will look into a plan to hold elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies at the same time across India. Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced this plan.
This committee will have 39 members in total: 27 from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha members are well-known leaders, including Ghanshyam Tiwari, Bhubaneswar Kalita, K. Laxman, and others from different political parties. This makes sure various opinions and experiences are included.
Earlier this week, 21 members were also added from the Lok Sabha. Recently, the government decided to make this committee bigger, increasing its members. New Lok Sabha members include Baijayant Panda and Sanjay Jaiswal from the BJP, Chhotelal from the Samajwadi Party, and a few others from different parties.
However, many opposing parties have concerns about this plan. They believe it might help the ruling party too much and limit the voices of smaller parties. The two important bills connected to this proposal—the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024—aim to change the Constitution to allow these elections to happen at the same time.
The Cabinet already approved these bills last week. During the introduction of these bills, there was strong disagreement from opposition members, leading to a vote. Out of the total votes, 269 members supported the bills, while 196 opposed them.
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