Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, reaffirmed his opposition to the 'One Nation, One Election' bill presented in the Lok Sabha."To the best of my knowledge, we were against it when it was first introduced . We will oppose it in the future as well," Omar told reporters.
According to Congress sources, Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Manish Tewari, Sukhdeo Bhagat, and Randeep Singh Surjewala will participate in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) discussions on the 'One Nation, One Election' bill on Wednesday.
The proposed legislation, presented in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, aims to hold concurrent elections for both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies throughout India. Nevertheless, opposition parties have vehemently objected to the proposal, voicing worries about its potential effects on democracy.
The opposition expressed concerns that this change could disproportionately benefit the ruling party, giving it too much influence over the electoral process in states and undermining the autonomy of regional parties.
The legislation, endorsed by the Cabinet last week, will enable concurrent elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies throughout India. The bill's introduction faced opposition from members of the opposing party. The bill's introduction was backed by 269 members during the vote, while 196 members were against it.
The bills will now be forwarded to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further deliberation. Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal introduced two important bills: the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill 2024 and the Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, proposing simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, were introduced in the Lower House today. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the bills in the Lok Sabha.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah mentioned that when the One Nation, One Election Bill was presented to the Cabinet for approval, PM Modi suggested it be referred to the JPC for thorough deliberation.
[Agency]