JPC Formed for ONOE: A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has been constituted to examine the One Nation, One Election bill proposing simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The committee will consist of 31 members, including 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the Congress has been named a member of the committee, along with other prominent figures like Manish Tewari, Dharmendra Yadav, Kalyan Banerjee, Supriya Sule, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Sambit Patra, Anil Baluni, and Anurag Singh Thakur. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the largest representation in the committee, reflecting its majority in both houses.
Members from the Lok Sabha:
- PP Chaudhary
- CM Ramesh
- Bansuri Swaraj
- Purushottam Bhai Rupala
- Anurag Singh Thakur
- Vishnu Dayal Ram
- Bhartruhari Mahtab
- Dr. Sambit Patra
- Anil Baluni
- Vishnu Dutt Sharma
- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
- Manish Tewari
- Sukhdev Bhagat
- Dharmendra Yadav
- Kalyan Banerjee
- T.M. Selvaganapathy
- G M Harish Balyogi
- Supriya Sule
- Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde
- Chandan Chauhan
- Balashowry Vallabhaneni
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the proposal for forming the committee in the Lok Sabha. Sources suggest that former Minister of State for Law PP Chaudhary is likely to be appointed as the committee’s chairperson. However, Anurag Thakur is also being considered for the position. According to parliamentary rules, Speaker Om Birla will take the final decision on the chairperson.
Members from the Rajya Sabha:
The Rajya Sabha will nominate 10 members for the committee, and their names will be announced in a separate notification.
Background of the Bill:
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal recently introduced the ‘Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024’ and the related ‘Union Territories Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024’ in the Lok Sabha. Both bills aim to implement the concept of ‘One Nation, One Election.’ However, opposition parties strongly opposed the bills, calling them an attack on the basic structure of the Constitution and federalism.
During the voting, 263 members supported the introduction of the bill, while 198 opposed it. Subsequently, the Union Territories Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was also introduced after obtaining the voice vote approval of the House.
