ONOE Bills referred to Joint Parl Committee

New Delhi: Parliament on Friday approved the creation of a 39-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to examine two key Bills proposing simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. This decision follows resolutions to refer Bills to JPC adopted by both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha earlier in the day.

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill were introduced in the Lok Sabha earlier this week, sparking heated debates over their implications. The government initially proposed a 31-member panel but expanded its size to 39 to accommodate demands from various political parties seeking representation in the deliberative process.

BJP MP and former Union Minister of State for Law and Justice, PP Chaudhary, has been appointed chairman of the committee. The panel includes 27 members from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha, with representation from a diverse array of political parties across the ruling coalition, Opposition, and independent blocs. Former Union ministers Anurag Thakur, Parshottam Rupala, Manish Tewari and several first-term lawmakers, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bansuri Swaraj and Sambit Patra, are members of the committee.

Other members of the committee are CM Ramesh, Vishnu Dayal Ram, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Anil Baluni, Vishnu Datt Sharma, Baijayant Panda, Sanjay Jaiswal, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Bhubaneswar Kalita, K Laxman and Kavita Patidar (all BJP), Sukhdeo Bhagat, Randeep Surjewala and Mukul Wasnik (all Congress), Dharmendra Yadav and Chhotelal (both SP), Kalyan Banerjee and Saket Gokhale (both TMC) and TM Selvaganapathi and P Wilson (both DMK).

TDP member GM Harish Balayogi, Anil Desai (Shiv Sena-UBT), Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shambhavi (LJSP-RV), K Radhakrishnan (CPI-M), Chandan Chauhan (RLD), Balashowry Vallabhaneni (JSP), Sanjay Kumar Jha (JD-U), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Manas Ranjan Mangaraj (BJD) and V Vijayasai Reddy (YSRCP) are other members of the committee.

The BJP has 16 members in the committee, while the Congress has five. The Opposition INDIA bloc collectively contributes 15 members, and the BJD and YSRCP—unaffiliated with either the ruling NDA or Opposition coalition—also have representation. Notably, the BJD has yet to clarify its stance on simultaneous elections, while the YSRCP has voiced support for the initiative.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who introduced the Bills and moved the resolutions for the committee’s formation, emphasised the transformative nature of the proposed reforms. “This marks a critical step in reforming the electoral process of our country. Given the significance of the matter, we ensured broader representation to include most prominent political parties,” Meghwal stated.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju echoed these sentiments, highlighting the government’s willingness to accommodate diverse viewpoints. He pointed out that there is no cap on the size of parliamentary panels, citing a previous committee with 51 members.

The committee’s mandate is to review and provide recommendations on the Bills, including constitutional amendments required to facilitate simultaneous polls. It is expected to submit its report by the first day of the last week of the next parliamentary session. However, given the complexity and importance of the subject, an extension of its tenure may be granted if needed.

The BJP’s push for “One Nation, One Election” is rooted in its vision of reducing election-related costs and ensuring policy continuity. Critics, however, have raised concerns over the potential impact on federalism and the autonomy of state governments.