Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections – The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024′ and ‘The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024’, were formally introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, amid a fiery debate.
The bills, that propose ‘One Nation, One Election’, or simultaneous elections to both Lok Sabha and state assemblies, will now be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions.
As the Opposition dubbed the bills as an attack on the federal structure, the government rejected the charge, and subsequently, the bills were introduced with 269 members voting in favour and 198 against it.
This was the first time that the electronic voting system was used in the Lok Sabha in the new Parliament House.
The proceedings were later adjourned for a little over an hour.
Following the votes, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal formally introduced the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, on ‘One Nation, One Election’ and agreed to send the bill to the JPC, in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah said, “When the One Nation, One Election Bill was taken up in the cabinet for approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that it should be sent to the JPC for detailed discussion. If the Law Minister is willing to send the bill to JPC, the discussion on its introduction can end.”
Meghwal also introduced a bill to amend the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, as per the day’s schedule.
These amendments aim to align assembly elections in Delhi, Jammu Kashmir, and Puducherry with the proposed simultaneous elections.
