6 days ago
First ‘one nation, one election' likely in 2034, shorter terms for state assemblies after 2029: Report
The government plans to implement nationwide simultaneous elections by 2034, following the passage of the 'one nation, one election' constitutional amendment bill. State assemblies elected after 2029 will have shorter terms to align with the 2034 Lok Sabha elections.
PP Choudhary, head of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the bill (The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024), told The Times of India that, for instance, the assembly elected in 2032 in Uttar Pradesh, India's largest electoral state, may serve only two years to synchronise with the 2034 Lok Sabha elections. The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, include provisions for simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.
To implement simultaneous elections, the President may issue a notification on the sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election. The tenure of all state assemblies formed after this date will end concurrently with the Lok Sabha's five-year term. If the Lok Sabha or a state assembly is dissolved before completing its five-year term, elections will be held to cover the remaining duration, aligning the next election with the simultaneous election cycle.
If the Election Commission of India (ECI) determines that a state assembly election cannot be conducted as part of simultaneous elections, it may recommend to the President to defer that election. The President can then order the election to be held later.
The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, grants the ECI authority to recommend postponing a state assembly election to the President without requiring parliamentary approval, unlike the current Article 356, which imposes specific conditions and parliamentary consent for such delays.
PP Choudhary, the Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Pali, Rajasthan, told ToI that the Joint Parliamentary Committee's (JPC) tenure might be extended due to a consensus among members to visit various states and Union Territories before finalising recommendations.
The JPC, chaired by Choudhary, has already visited Maharashtra and Uttarakhand. The bills, introduced in the Lok Sabha in December last year, were referred to this panel, which has been engaging with stakeholders for feedback.
