Chandigarh [India], June 16 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP PP Chaudhary, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Chairperson on One Nation One Election, held a meeting in Chandigarh on Monday.
The meeting is currently underway with regional and national political parties of Haryana and Chandigarh, including the BJP, INC, JJP, BSP, INLD, and former Chief Ministers, who are discussing the matter of the One Nation One Election.
The 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill for simultaneous national and assembly polls was tabled in the Lok Sabha in December last year. It was later referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee.
The Modi government had formed a High-level Committee on simultaneous Elections, under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind, who submitted an over 18,000-page report to President Droupadi Murmu in March last year.
Earlier, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema strongly opposed the Centre's One Nation, One Election (ONOE) proposal, terming it a direct assault on the federal structure of the country and against the spirit of the Constitution framed by Dr BR Ambedkar.
Speaking to ANI after a meeting with the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in Chandigarh, Cheema reiterated the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government's firm stance against the initiative, arguing that it undermines state autonomy.
"The JPC and its Chairman visited Punjab today to seek the views of the state government and political parties on One Nation, One Election. We have clearly presented our viewpoint before the Committee--this agenda is harmful to the country. It aims to dismantle the federal structure of the nation and goes against the principles of our Constitution. This move threatens the autonomy of states, and we strongly oppose it. We will not allow it to be passed," Cheema said.
In contrast, State Convener for ONOE, SS Channy, supported the initiative, claiming that "people want One Nation, One Election to be implemented."
"I welcome the JPC for coming to Punjab to listen to the political parties. We went around the state, and people want One Nation, One Election to be implemented. This will save time and money," Channy said, highlighting the potential benefits of reduced election expenditure and administrative disruptions.