THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) working on the proposed legislation for simultaneous elections on Friday said that the legal and constitutional framework required for implementation of the 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) proposal is likely to be in place before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to media persons after the committee's first round of consultations in Goa, JPC Chairman P P Chaudhary expressed confidence that the panel would complete its work in time for the next general elections.
Chaudhary met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant along with three cabinet Ministers, Chief Secretary, Chief Electoral Officer and representatives of political parties including BJP, Congress, AAP, MGP and GFP. The deliberations focused on the administrative, logistical, financial and electoral preparedness/challenges required for conducting simultaneous elections.
The Committee desired that state departments conduct a study on the effects of staggered vs simultaneous elections.
Chaudhary said the committee was examining every constitutional, legal and administrative aspect of the proposed reform and was working towards evolving a mechanism that would enable simultaneous elections across the country.
"We are confident that the legal and constitutional framework required for One Nation, One Election will be ready before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. We are working on a mechanism that will ensure a common election cycle without affecting the democratic process," Chaudhary said, adding that some states may voluntarily align their election schedules by 2029, even before the legislation is enacted.
The committee, constituted to examine the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, is currently in Goa as part of its nationwide consultations.
Making a strong case for the reform, Chaudhary said experts had estimated that India was losing nearly Rs 7 lakh crore because of repeated elections at different levels of government. He said these savings could instead be utilised for infrastructure, healthcare, education, housing and other developmental activities.
While pointing to the enormous administrative exercise involved every time elections are conducted, besides the slowing down of policy decisions due to the Model Code of Conduct, the Chairman said that the Government schools were among the worst affected as teachers were repeatedly drafted for election-related duties, affecting classroom teaching.
Chaudhary said the interaction with the Goa government was informal as its members were elected representatives of the state and had shared their experiences on the challenges posed by frequent elections and the need to strike a fine balance between democratic processes and governance.
Referring to Goa's dependence on tourism, the JPC chairman said the state had highlighted how repeated elections across different parts of the country also impacted Goa's economy.
"Whether elections are held in Goa or elsewhere, tourism gets affected because visitor movement declines during election periods. This has an impact on the State's economy," he said.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told the committee that State fully supports ONOE as repeated elections disrupt governance, administrative continuity, policy implementation and budgetary planning.
Sawant said synchronised elections would allow governments to focus on long-term development instead of remaining in a perpetual election mode. "We highlighted before the committee how frequent elections affect governance in Goa. The proposed law is in the interest of the state and development. The Government of Goa and the people of the state support ONOE," Sawant said.
Drawing a parallel with the Goods and Services Tax, the Chief Minister said there had initially been opposition to the "One Nation, One Tax" concept, but it had subsequently proved successful. "The nation must come first before political affiliations," he said.
Senior BJP leader and JPC member Anurag Thakur said the Narendra Modi government had consistently pursued transformative reforms, citing GST as an example, and was now moving ahead with the One Nation, One Election initiative.
"The committee's final report will show why this reform is necessary. It has the potential to be a game-changing law for the country," Thakur said, adding that people should rise above political differences and think in the national interest.
The committee's next round of consultations will be held in Lucknow.
Oppn raises voice against ‘One’ plan
The Opposition parties in Goa on Friday strongly opposed the proposed Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill on "One Nation, One Election" during a consultation meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), arguing that the proposal would undermine India's federal structure and democratic principles.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) while opposing the Bill urged the Parliament to amend the Anti-Defection Law, alleging that it is being misused to facilitate defections and topple popularly elected governments.
Congress MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira said all opposition parties attending the consultation opposed the proposed legislation. "Since we are bound by the JPC guidelines, we are not disclosing the details. We strongly objected to the Bill and opposed it clause by clause," he said.
Congress MP Captain Viriato Fernandes said, "the alliance partners of the NDA are also literally shaky on this issue. We need to respect the federal structure of the country," he said.
