The Lok Sabha on Tuesday held a division vote to introduce two bills to amend the Constitution and permit simultaneous federal and state polls, as part of the ruling BJP’s ‘one nation, one election‘ push.
The bills were formally introduced in Parliament by simple majority, as required by the rules; 269 MPs voted in favour and 198 opposed it. However, the margin was flagged by critics of the ‘one nation, one election’ bill, who claimed it shows the government lacks support, even at this stage, to pass the bills.
“Two-thirds majority (i.e., 307) was needed out of the total 461 votes… but the government secured only (269), while the opposition got 198. The ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal failed to gain two-thirds support,” Congress MP Manickam Tagore said on X, with a screenshot of the e-voting system.
Two-thirds majority (307) was needed out of the total 461 votes, but the government secured only 263, while the opposition got 198. The ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal failed to gain two-thirds support. pic.twitter.com/5GIQQ0qY7r
— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) December 17, 2024
Mr Tagore’s colleague, Shashi Tharoor, also pointed out the apparent gap in numbers.
“Undoubtedly the government has larger numbers on its side… but to pass it (bills to amend the Constitution) you need a 2/3 majority that they very clearly don’t have,” he told reporters after the House was briefly adjourned, “It is obvious (then) that they should not persist too long with this…”
#WATCH | On One Nation One Election Bill, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says “…Undoubtedly the government has larger numbers on its side than us. In the JPC, however, they may even have a majority in terms of the composition of the JPC but to pass it as a constitutional amendment,… pic.twitter.com/8e56JJNNCP
— ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2024
According to the rules, these amendments to the Constitution will require the support of two-third of members present and voting to clear the Lok Sabha. The Congress, using today as an example, pointed out that 461 members took part in the vote to introduce the Constitutional Amendment Bill.
If this were a vote to pass the bill, 307 of those 461 would have to vote in favour but only 269 did, prompting the Congress to say, “This bill does not have support… many parties have spoken against it.”
The Congress’ exultations, while premature, contain a kernel of truth.
‘One Nation, One Election’ Numbers Game
As of today the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has 293 MPs in its camp, and the opposition – the Congress-led INDIA – has 234. Even at full strength the NDA’s score is not enough – as the Congress leaders said – to push through bills to amend the Constitution.
NDTV Explains | Numbers Behind ‘One Nation, One Poll’, Can Bill Pass?
The BJP will, therefore, need support, from non-aligned parties, assuming an identical number of MPs are present and voting to pass the bills to amend the Constitution. In that case there are only two possibilities – the YSR Congress with four MPs and the Akali Dal with one. Both have pledged support.
That leaves Prime Minister Narendra Modi needing at least nine more votes – not impossible to cobble together for the BJP – for his ‘one nation, one election’ dream to cross the Lok Sabha.
In the event of a full-strength Lok Sabha, the BJP will need 64 more votes.
For now, the bill will likely be sent to a joint committee that will be constituted based on each party’s Lok Sabha numbers. This will mean the BJP will have the maximum members and lead the committee.
READ | BJP To Send Notices To MPs Absent For ‘1 Nation, 1 Poll’ Bill Vote
Meanwhile, sources have told NDTV the BJP will send notices to over 20 of its MPs who were not present during voting to introduce the bill. The party had issued a three-line whip to be present.
Congress, Opposition Slam ONOP
The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha this afternoon by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. The introduction was followed by scathing attacks from the opposition.
The Congress’ Manish Tewari, the Samajwadi Party’s Dharmendra Yadav, Kalyan Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, and TR Baalu from Tamil Nadu’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led the charge.
The Shiv Sena faction of ex-Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the Nationalist Congress Party group led by Sharad Pawar, as well as a host of smaller parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian Union Muslim League, also voiced opposition.
READ | “Not Tampering With State Powers”: Law Minister On ‘ONOP’
The common thread among critics of the ‘One Nation, One Poll’, or ONOP Bill, was that the simultaneous elections proposal subverts the basic structure of the Constitution and must be withdrawn immediately. Mr Yadav, meanwhile, warned the House, “This is the path to dictatorship”.
Earlier, Trinamool boss and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called it “a design to subvert the basic structure of the Constitution and slammed the “anti-federal” exercise, labelling it “an authoritarian imposition designed to undermine India’s democracy and federal structure”.
READ | “Must Save Democracy”: Mamata Banerjee, Opposition Slam ‘1 Nation, 1 Poll’
Mr Baalu flagged the expenditure simultaneous polls entailed, including the Election Commission having to spend Rs 10,000 crore on new EVMs, or electronic voting machines, every 15 years. “The government should send this bill to the JPC (joint parliamentary committee),” he said.
READ | Rs 10,000 Crore Every 15 Years – Cost Of ‘One Nation, One Poll’
“Unwavering Support” From BJP Allies
Two of the BJP’s allies – Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party and the Sena faction of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde – established their backing of the bill.
“We have seen in Andhra Pradesh (that) when simultaneous elections happen… there is clarity of process and governance. That has been our experience and we want that to happen across the country,” the TDP’s Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said, expressing “unwavering support”.
BJP Responds
Rising to speak after the avalanche of criticism, Mr Meghwal hit back and insisted the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal is a long-pending piece of electoral reform and will not damage the Constitution.
“Laws can be brought in for electoral reforms… this bill is aligned with the process of easing the electoral process, which will be synchronised. There will be no damage to the Constitution via this Bill. There will be no tampering with the basic structure of the Constitution,” he said.
What Is ‘One Nation, One Election’?
Simply put, it means all Indians will vote in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections – to pick central and state representatives – in the same year, if not at the same time.
As of 2024, only four states voted with a Lok Sabha election – Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Odisha voted alongside the April-June Lok Sabha election. Three others – Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir – voted in October-November.
NDTV Special | ‘One Nation, One Election’: What Is It And How Will It Work
The rest follow a non-synced five-year cycle; Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana, for example, were among those voted at different times last year, while Delhi and Bihar will vote in 2025 and Tamil Nadu and Bengal are among those that will vote in 2026.
Can ‘One Nation, One Election’ Work?
Not without an amendment to the Constitution and that amendment being ratified by the governments of all states and union territories, as well as, possibly, major political parties.
NDTV Explains | ‘One Nation, One Election’. What Are Pros And Cons?
These are Article 83 (term of Parliament), Article 85 (dissolution of Lok Sabha by the President), Article 172 (duration of state legislatures), and Article 174 (dissolution of state legislatures), as well as Article 356 (imposition of President’s Rule).
Legal experts have warned that failure to pass such amendments will leave the proposal open to attack on charges of violating India’s federal structure.
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