In ‘one nation, one poll’, three articles need amendment

The government has set the ball rolling with the introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, which proposes to amend three articles of the Constitution and insert a new one, i.e. Article 82A, for holding simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha as well as state Assemblies.

Commonly known as the ‘one nation, one election’ Bill, the proposed legislation marks the beginning of the BJP-led NDA government's pending promise of holding simultaneous elections.

The proposed Article 82A aims to provide that the President may notify the date of the first sitting of the House of the People after a General Election as the appointed date.

The tenure of the Lok Sabha shall be five years from that appointed date. The tenure of all legislative Assemblies after the appointed date and before the expiry of the full term of the House of the People, the proposed Article says further.

Thereafter, the General Election and all Assemblies shall be held together simultaneously, it adds.

In case of dissolution of the Lok Sabha or a legislative Assembly, sooner than the full term, the term of the House or Assembly constituted pursuant to elections shall be for the unexpired term of the House or the Assembly, it points out.

Apart from the introduction of the Constitution Amendment Bill to synchronise the terms of Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, a second Bill to amend provisions of laws dealing with union territories and the legislative assemblies of J&K, Delhi and Puducherry to align the terms of these Assemblies with the Lok Sabha and other legislative assemblies, was also introduced on Tuesday.

In case of a hung House or a no-confidence motion, it was suggested by the panel that such a case, fresh elections may be held to constitute a new House. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, was cleared by the Union Cabinet earlier this month.