Bill on simultaneous polls listed for introduction in LS on Tuesday

A constitutional amendment bill for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously has been listed for introduction in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday and could be referred to a joint committee of the two Houses.

The Lok Sabha agenda said the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly being referred to as the Bill on "one nation, one election", will be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

After its introduction, Meghwal will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament for wider consultations.

The minister will also introduce the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to align the elections of the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry and the NCT of Delhi.

The joint panel will be constituted on a pro-rata basis, based on the strength of MPs of various parties.

As the largest party, the BJP will get the chairmanship of the committee, besides several members, a functionary said on Monday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was a member of a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind that recommended holding Lok Sabha, state assembly and local body elections simultaneously in a phased manner, is likely to be present in the Lower House at the time of the Bill's introduction, the functionary said.

Last week, the Union Cabinet decided to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies but opted to leave "as of now" how local body polls will be held.

Meghwal may tell the Lower House that since the Bill will need wider consultations with lawmakers and the public, it should be sent to a joint committee.

The speaker will seek the names of members for the proposed panel from the parties on the same day.

If the parties do not inform the speaker about the members they wish to name for the panel, according to the rules, they may lose membership.

The speaker will announce the committee's composition by the evening on the day the Bill is introduced, the functionary said.

Initially, the tenure of the proposed committee will be for 90 days but it may be extended later.

The Union Cabinet has approved the two bills to hold the parliamentary and assembly polls concurrently.

Kovind had said during the consultation process on "one nation, one election" that 32 parties supported the idea while 15 did not.

Simultaneous polls were held in the country between 1951 and 1967.

The concept of simultaneous elections has featured in many reports and studies since 1983, essentially implying a return to the previous practice of conducting polls concurrently.