The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the 'One Nation, One Election' bill on Thursday. The bill, aimed at bringing electoral reforms to the country, is expected to be introduced in Parliament next week, according to reports.
According to sources, after being introduced in Parliament, the bill would be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for detailed discussions since the government wants to build a consensus around it.
'One Nation, One Election' was a key promise in the BJP's manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In August this year, PM Modi urged all political parties to support its implementation, emphasizing the challenges posed by frequent elections to India’s progress.
In September, the Union Cabinet approved the 'One Nation, One Election' plan, endorsing the report of the high-level committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which examined the proposal.
The report, submitted in March this year ahead of the general elections, outlined the steps for its implementation. Recognizing that the government lacks the numbers in both Houses of Parliament to push the bill forward without consensus, it aims to engage political parties through discussions facilitated by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). The government also plans to consult stakeholders, including state assembly speakers and intellectuals, to build broad-based support.
The Kovind committee recommended conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies as the initial phase, followed by synchronizing local body polls within 100 days. It also proposed creating a common electoral roll and voter ID system under the Election Commission of India (ECI) in coordination with state election authorities. Furthermore, the panel suggested 18 constitutional amendments to enable the implementation of the proposal.
