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Time of India
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Govt targeting 2034 to hold 1st 'one nation, one election'
NEW DELHI: As the govt is expecting to hold the first countrywide simultaneous polls by 2034 after passage of the constitutional amendment bill for 'one nation, one election', all state assemblies to be elected after 2029 will be for a shorter duration to align their tenure with the 2034 general elections. Head of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the 'one nation, one election' bill (The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024) PP Choudhary explained to TOI that after 2027, the assembly due to be elected in 2032 may have a tenure of only two years to ensure the synchronisation of the next elections in Uttar Pradesh-India's largest state electorally -with the Lok Sabha polls which may be held in 2034. The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2024, have provisions for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. As per provisions of the constitution amendment bill, the President may issue a notification on the date of the first sitting of Lok Sabha after a general election, in all probability the one to be held in 2029, to spell when the next general elections will be due. The terms of all state assemblies constituted after this date will expire with the end of that Lok Sabha's five-year term. If Lok Sabha or a state assembly is dissolved earlier than its five-year term, an election for it will be held for a term equal to the remainder of the five-year term. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 전체임플란트 간단 뼈이식포함 300만원에 kimplant 더 알아보기 Undo This will synchronise its next election with the simultaneous elections cycle. Even in states, where polls will be due, elections for assemblies will be held only to align with the Lok Sabha polls. However, the bill states that if the Election Commission is of the opinion that election to a state assembly cannot be held along with the rest of the country, it may make a recommendation to the President in this regard. The President may issue an order to conduct an election for that assembly at a later date. The BJP MP from Pali in Rajasthan, Choudhary, said going by the JPC's working, its tenure may be extended as there was a consensus amongst panel members to visit states and UTs before making the final recommendations. So far, JPC members have visited Maharashtra and Uttarakhand. The bills had been introduced in LS in Dec last year and were referred to the Chaudhary-led panel which has been holding consultations with stakeholders for feedback.
The Hindu
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bill on simultaneous polls unconstitutional: A.M. Singhvi
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Tuesday (April 22, 2025) told the Parliament's joint committee on reviewing legislation on simultaneous elections that any law seeking to subordinate the State election cycle to the Centre's and artificially truncating the Parliament's tenure violated the basic structure of the Constitution, according to informed sources. He was addressing the Joint Committee on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty–Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, headed by BJP leader and Lok Sabha member P.P. Chaudhary. Rarely is a sitting parliamentarian called to depose before the committee. According to the sources, Mr. Singhvi's presentation that lasted for an hour, was followed by over 90-minute discussion. Three accounts His criticism of the Bills was broadly centred on three accounts. One, Mr. Singhvi argued, seeks to subordinate the State election cycle to the Parliamentary elections, which is a violation of the federal principle and thereby the basic structure of the Constitution. Under the model recommended by the Ramnath Kovind-chaired high-level committee, Mr. Singhvi said several States would suffer drastic curtailment of their tenures. Second, by seeking to reset the parliamentary election cycle by artificially truncating its tenure, the Bill violates the will of the people, which is the building block of any democracy. He also pointed out a key infirmity in the Bill. The sources said, Mr. Singhvi pointed out that such legislation could not be passed without ratification from more than half of State legislatures. Additionally, he said interference with the State Assembly election cycle would also indirectly impact the shape of the Rajya Sabha. Instead of the proposed legislation, Mr. Singhvi, as per sources, contended that the government should consider reducing the duration of elections which would also directly reduce the term of the Model Code of Conduct. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have argued that governance is impacted because of extended periods of imposition of model code of conduct for the elections. In 2024, the elections were conducted in seven phases over six weeks, while in 2019 the elections were conducted in 7 phases over 7 weeks. To a specific question raised by Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on how will simultaneous elections impact the regional parties, the sources said, Mr. Singhvi quoted the Ramnath Kovind committee report, which had conceded that in majority of cases, the political party that wins at the Centre would also be better placed to win in the States.
