Lok Sabha to Discuss 'One Nation, One Election' Bill Today

The 2019 Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, aimed at enabling simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, is expected to be presented in Parliament today. It might subsequently be sent to a joint committee of both Houses. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is anticipated to introduce the bill. He will then ask Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for further discussions. The committee will be constituted proportionally based on the number of MPs from various parties.

Which section and sub-section contain provisions?

The Bill includes a clause for situations where assembly elections are not conducted simultaneously with parliamentary elections.

As per sub-section 5 of Section 2 of the Bill, 'If the Election Commission determines that assembly elections cannot be held concurrently with Lok Sabha elections, it can ask the President to issue an order allowing the assembly elections to be conducted at a later time.'

Article 82A will be included

The bill will introduce Article 82A concerning elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Additionally, there will be modifications to Article 83 regarding the term of the Houses of Parliament, Article 172 concerning the term of the State Legislatures, and Article 327.

Term will last for 5 years from notification issue date

The Bill stipulates that the Act mandates a notification by the President regarding the date of the first Lok Sabha session following the general elections. This date will be referred to as the due date. The Lok Sabha's term will span five years from this date.