New Delhi, December 12: The Union Cabinet has approved the bill related to ‘one country one election’. The government can introduce it in Parliament next week. It was approved today in the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sources have given this information.
The Union Cabinet on September 18 approved the recommendations of the high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind related to ‘one country, one election’. The committee had provided its recommendations on the system related to holding simultaneous elections of the Center, states and local bodies in the country.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had informed at that time that the government would try to garner widespread support on this subject and a Constitution Amendment Bill would be brought on it in time.
He had said that various political parties and leaders of a large number of parties have actually supported the One Country One Election initiative.
It is noteworthy that simultaneous elections have been held in the country from 1951 to 1967. In the year 1999, the Law Commission had recommended in its 170th report that there should be simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and all the assemblies in five years so that development continues in the country. In its 79th report in 2015, the Parliamentary Committee had asked the government to suggest ways to conduct simultaneous elections in two phases.
In its previous tenure, the Modi government had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind to conduct simultaneous elections across the country.
The committee discussed this with various parties and stakeholders in this regard and gave its recommendations during the previous government itself. It has been proposed that after a period, the term of the current assembly of all the states should be shortened and simultaneous elections should be held. Elections to municipal bodies and panchayats should be held shortly after the elections in the Center and the states. In case of not getting majority and in case of minority, re-elections should be held, the term should be only for the remaining time.
