Lok Sabha today granted an extension to the panel on " One Nation and One Election till the winter session. The Joint Committee has been conducting nationwide consultations on the proposed rollout of simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies by 2029.
New Delhi: A joint committee of parliament examining a bill to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies on Wednesday granted a fresh extension till the end of the winter session.
Committee chairman P P Chaudhry moved a resolution seeking extension of the deadline for submission of the Committee's report till the first day of the last week of the winter session. The resolution was passed by voice vote. Winter session of Parliament usually begins in the last week of November and concludes ahead of Christmas.
The 41-member Committee is examining the Constitution(One Hundred and twenty Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 to implement the One Nation One Election frame work. The Committee has been conducting nationwide consultations on the proposed rollout of simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha,state assemblies and local bodies by 2029.
The "One Nation, One Election" proposal has been one of the Centre's key electoral reform initiatives, with the government
arguing that synchronised to governance due to the Model Code of Conduct, optimise deployment of administrative and security resources, and lower election-related expenditure.
The proposal, however, has also generated extensive political and constitutional debate, with several opposition parties raising concerns over its impact on India's federal structure, the autonomy of State legislatures and practical challenges of implementing simultaneous elections in a parliamentary democracy where governments may fall before completing their full term.
The Joint Committee has been consulting the stakeholders and examining the Consitutional, legal and adimistrative implications of the proposed reforms.
