New Delhi [India], August 25 : Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram on Tuesday said simultaneous elections were not possible in 2029, even if the One Nation One Election Bill was passed by Parliament.
In a post on X, Chidambaram said he had deposed before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on One Nation One Election (ONOE) and his basic submission was that the Bill violated the basic structure of the Constitution.
https://x.com/PChidambaram_IN/status/2092080790662525328?s=20
"I am grateful for the opportunity to present my views to the JPC on O.N.O.E. I am not at liberty to disclose my evidence to the JPC but the basic thrust of my deposition was that the Bill violated the basic features of the Constitution, especially the tenets of parliamentary democracy in a federal country," he wrote.
Taking a swipe at the JPC Chairman's reported statement that simultaneous polls were possible in 2029, Chidambaram said,"I have read the reported statement of the Chairman, JPC, that simultaneous elections are possible in 2029 I am afraid his view is wrong and goes against the text of the Bill. Even if the Bill is passed (which is very unlikely), the 'appointed date' under the Bill can only be a date 'after a general election'".
He added, "The next general election will take place in 2029. Hence, simultaneous elections are not possible in 2029, which is a blessing. The Congress and other Opposition parties will mount a nationwide campaign against the Bill, which is a Constitutional monstrosity in parliamentary democracy in a federal country."
Meanwhile, the parliamentary committee examining the 'One Nation, One Election' Bill on Monday received several suggestions during its deliberations.
According to sources, two public policy institutions called for replacing subjective discretion with defined, judicially traceable grounds for deferring state assembly polls, paired with fixed outer limits.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, is linked to the proposed reform popularly known as "One Nation, One Election," which seeks to synchronise elections for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is also part of the broader framework aimed at facilitating the implementation of simultaneous elections across the country.
These Bills, introduced on December 17, 2024, in the Lok Sabha and sent to the JPC for further scrutiny, collectively aim to introduce simultaneous elections across the country.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has undertaken multiple study visits and meetings with various subject matter experts. The most recent study visit programme was in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow in July.