Union Cabinet clears 'one nation, one poll' proposal, Bill likely in Winter Session

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to 'one nation, one election' proposal - one of the key promises of the BJP. The Bill is likely to be tabled in the House during the Winter Session of Parliament. Nitish Kumar's JDU and Chirag Paswan's LJP have supported the proposal. The move comes just a day after Home Minister Amit Shah said that 'one nation, one election' will be a reality in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier this week, Congress leader P Chidambaram said that the 'one nation, one election' is not possible under the present Constitution and requires at least five constitutional amendments. He said the NDA government does not have the numbers to place those constitutional amendments either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. 

"'One nation, one election' is not possible under the present Constitution. It requires at least five constitutional amendments," Chidambaram said while speaking to reporters. He said there were greater constitutional obstacles to 'one nation, one election'. "It is not possible. The INDIA bloc is totally opposed to 'one nation, one election." 

In March this year, a high-level panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu. The panel recommended simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and state assemblies as the first step followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days. Simultaneous polls will spur development and social cohesion, deepen "foundations of democratic rubric” and help realise the aspirations of “India, that is Bharat", the panel said in its report that runs into into more than 18,000 pages.

The committee recommended that fresh elections could be held to constitute a new Lok Sabha in the event of a hung House or a no-confidence motion, or any such event. Where fresh elections are held for the House of the People (Lok Sabha), the tenure of the House will be "only for the unexpired (remaining) term of the immediately preceding full term of the House".

When fresh elections are held for state legislative assemblies, then such new assemblies — unless sooner dissolved — shall continue up to the end of the full term of the Lok Sabha. To bring into force such a mechanism, Article 83 (duration of Houses of Parliament) and Article 172 (duration of state legislatures) need to be amended, the committee said. "This Constitutional amendment will not need ratification by the states," the committee said.