December 17, 2024 - The One Nation, One Election (ONOE) proposal was introduced in the Lok Sabha this afternoon by Law Minister Arjun Meghwal. The two Bills, which will make this ONOE a law, were placed before the House and passed by a simple majority with 269 MPs voting in favour of it and 198 opposing it. The two Bills, if approved, will amend the Constitution and allow the national and State elections to be held simultaneously.

After a brief discussion, the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussion. Congress MP Rajiv Shukla said that there were many shortcomings in the Bill and it needs to have wider consultation.

The Opposition MPs, including Congress, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress, have been vehemently opposing the Bill calling it, “unconstitutional”, an attempt by the BJP to bring in “dictatorship” in the country and being against the “basic structure of the Constitution itself”.

"Two-thirds majority (i.e., 307) was needed out of the total 461 votes... but the Government secured only (269), while the opposition got 198. The 'One Nation, One Election' proposal failed to gain two-thirds support," Congress MP Manickam Tagore wrote on X, with a screenshot of the e-voting system.

Veteran Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, while speaking to the media during adjournment, said, “Undoubtedly the government has larger numbers on its side... but to pass it (bills to amend the Constitution) you need a 2/3 majority that they very clearly don't have. It is obvious (then) that they should not persist too long with this..."

With Media Inputs