Two bills to amend the Constitution, aimed at holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections under the ‘one nation, one election’ initiative, were tabled in the Lok Sabha today. The proposal has sparked strong opposition protests, with Congress demanding its immediate withdrawal. The bills are expected to be referred to a joint committee for further discussions.

BulletsIn

– Law Minister Arjun Meghwal tabled the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha.
– The bill is likely to be sent to a joint committee, which will be chaired by BJP, with a 90-day initial term.
– Opposition leaders, including Congress’ Manish Tewari and SP’s Dharmendra Yadav, strongly criticized the proposal.
– Congress called for the immediate withdrawal of the bill, arguing it goes beyond legislative competence.
– Opposition warned that the proposal could lead to dictatorship and undermine the Constitution’s basic structure.
– BJP allies, including TDP, YSR Congress, and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), have expressed support for the bill.
– The government argues that frequent, fragmented elections have led to inefficiencies in India’s democracy.
– The bill links the terms of state Assemblies to the Lok Sabha, aligning their elections post-2029.
– Provisions of the bill will not come into effect before 2034, and will be enforced after the first sitting of a new Lok Sabha.
– Amendments are expected to avoid state ratification, but local body polls may require approval from half of the states.