BENGALURU: PP Chaudhary, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, here on Saturday made the pitch for ‘One Nation One Election’.
The Centre is proposing simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and Assemblies. In the interest of the country, all political parties should cooperate in passing the bill in Parliament, he added.
Chaudhary was here on a JPC study visit to continue its regional outreach and hold consultations with stakeholders, including constitutional and political functionaries, like the chief minister, deputy chief minister, Assembly Speaker, Council chairman, elected representatives, heads of political parties, state administration, financial and educational institutions, professional bodies and representatives of civil society at the state level.
“A two-thirds majority is required to pass the bill in Parliament. I hope NDA will also get the cooperation of other parties, only then will this be possible. Besides the voters, separate elections affect foreign direct investment and foreign portfolio investment FPI inflows. Investors hesitate because of the constant uncertainty over which government will come to power next at the Centre or in states.
They might divert their investments elsewhere instead of India. Whether you look at the financial aspect, governance, or even children’s education, conducting elections separately causes a massive loss to the country,” he reasoned.
“In due time, we will invite objections from everyone, decide on those objections, see what everyone’s perspective is, and after evaluating them, we will consider them,” he said.
On keeping local bodies together, he cited the Ram Nath Kovind Committee report’s recommendation that within 100 days of the simultaneous polls to LS and assemblies, elections to institutions of self-government will be held.
“After the amendment in the Constitution, ‘Local Bodies’ has been replaced with ‘Institutions of Self-Government’. Whether they are at the panchayat level or the municipality level. So, for those institutions of self-government, after the simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies, their elections should be held within 100 days which is included in the bill,” he explained.