Centre may bring in UCC, 'One Nation, One Election' bills in Parliament's special session: Sources
Earlier today, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi said the Centre has called a special session of Parliament from September 18 to 22. The session will have 5 sittings.
- Aug 31, 2023,
- Updated Aug 31, 2023 7:15 PM IST
The central government may introduce the 'One Nation, One Election' bill during Parliament's special session from September 18 to 22, sources told India Today on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing this idea to hold assembly and general elections simultaneously. This move, he argues, will bring down the cost of holding elections and also save time for governance.
Earlier today, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi said the Centre has called a special session of Parliament from September 18 to 22. The session will have 5 sittings. During the session, the Centre may also bring in the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the Women Reservation Bill, sources said.
This year in June, the Law Commission initiated a fresh consultation process on the UCC by seeking views from stakeholders, including public and recognised religious organisations, on the issue. Earlier, the 21st Law Commission, the term of which ended in August 2018, examined the issue and solicited the views of all stakeholders on two occasions. The women's reservation bill provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for 15 years.
This comes just months before the scheduled assembly elections in five states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram - later this year. The Lok Sabha election is slated to be held in the first half of next year. However, the buzz has started that the Centre may go for an early election or the assembly elections due in five states may be postponed to April-May next year.
Besides the 2024 general elections, seven states - excluding the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir - are scheduled to go to polls next year. Among the states that are scheduled to go to polls next year are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand.
In January last year, PM Modi pitched for 'one nation, one election' and said the continuous cycle of elections results in politics being seen in everything while development works suffer. He also said that frequent polls hamper development works and make people impute political motives at every step of a government.
Speaking on the special session of Parliament called by the government, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he does not know what important situation has arisen that the Parliament is being convened suddenly. He said elections are nearing, and in the states going to elections, the BJP's condition is bad.
"This special session is being called by them to find a way to save themselves from this situation and how to mislead people again. If we get a chance, we will prove that this is not 'Amrit Kaal' but 'Garal Kaal'. If the government has the courage then it should discuss the various issues including China and Manipur; they should accept our demand for constituting JPC," he said.
(With inputs from Himanshu Mishra)
The central government may introduce the 'One Nation, One Election' bill during Parliament's special session from September 18 to 22, sources told India Today on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing this idea to hold assembly and general elections simultaneously. This move, he argues, will bring down the cost of holding elections and also save time for governance.
Earlier today, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi said the Centre has called a special session of Parliament from September 18 to 22. The session will have 5 sittings. During the session, the Centre may also bring in the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the Women Reservation Bill, sources said.
This year in June, the Law Commission initiated a fresh consultation process on the UCC by seeking views from stakeholders, including public and recognised religious organisations, on the issue. Earlier, the 21st Law Commission, the term of which ended in August 2018, examined the issue and solicited the views of all stakeholders on two occasions. The women's reservation bill provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for 15 years.
This comes just months before the scheduled assembly elections in five states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram - later this year. The Lok Sabha election is slated to be held in the first half of next year. However, the buzz has started that the Centre may go for an early election or the assembly elections due in five states may be postponed to April-May next year.
Besides the 2024 general elections, seven states - excluding the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir - are scheduled to go to polls next year. Among the states that are scheduled to go to polls next year are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand.
In January last year, PM Modi pitched for 'one nation, one election' and said the continuous cycle of elections results in politics being seen in everything while development works suffer. He also said that frequent polls hamper development works and make people impute political motives at every step of a government.
Speaking on the special session of Parliament called by the government, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he does not know what important situation has arisen that the Parliament is being convened suddenly. He said elections are nearing, and in the states going to elections, the BJP's condition is bad.
"This special session is being called by them to find a way to save themselves from this situation and how to mislead people again. If we get a chance, we will prove that this is not 'Amrit Kaal' but 'Garal Kaal'. If the government has the courage then it should discuss the various issues including China and Manipur; they should accept our demand for constituting JPC," he said.
(With inputs from Himanshu Mishra)