New Delhi, Dec 12: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved two bills, including one to amend the Constitution to implement “one nation, one election”, and the draft legislations are likely to be introduced in Parliament in the ongoing winter session, sources said.
As of now, the Cabinet has given its nod to draft legislations to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies only, the sources said.
While a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind had also proposed holding the municipality and panchayat polls along with the national and state elections in a phased manner, the Cabinet has decided to stay away, “as of now”, from the manner in which local body elections are conducted.
The Constitution amendment bill to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will not require ratification by at least 50 per cent of the states, the sources noted.
Another Constitution bill proposed by the Kovind panel was aimed at creating provisions to hold simultaneous elections to municipalities and panchayats, along with the elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, by inserting a new Article 324A.
It would have required ratification by half of the state assemblies.
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But the Union Cabinet has kept the local body polls out as of now.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The proposed bill will require a simple majority for passage in both the Houses. The government is keen on holding wider consultations on the bills and may send them to a parliamentary committee.
The BJP’s manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls had included its commitment to the idea.
Though BJP’s allies such as the TDP, Janata Dal (United), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), all of whom are represented in the Union Cabinet, are supporting the concept, the National Democratic Alliance will need backing from some of the members of the opposition INDIA alliance besides fence-sitters to ensure the passage of the constitutional amendment bill requiring support from two-thirds of the members in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The NDA’s current strength in Lok Sabha, which currently has 542 members and one vacancy, is around 293 against the two-third mark of 361. The INDIA bloc enjoys support of nearly 235 MPs.
In Rajya Sabha, the ruling alliance has nearly 122 members, a tally which is set to rise after the ongoing process to fill vacancies are over. The Upper House’ sanctioned strength is 243.
LJP leader and Union Minister Chirag Paswan told reporters that the process to implement simultaneous polls has formally begun, a nod to its approval by the Cabinet, asserting that this is in the interest of the country’s development.
Frequent polls are a hindrance to development works, he added.
Union minister and BJP leader Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a media event that it is a “very positive thought” and very good for the country. However, he made no reference to the Cabinet’s approval of the bill.
