The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will issue notices to MPs who were absent during the voting on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Over 20 party members are under scrutiny as they did not attend the session, despite the BJP issuing a three-line whip directing all Lok Sabha MPs to be present for the vote on December 17.
The bill, which seeks to introduce simultaneous elections in India, was successfully introduced in the Lok Sabha after receiving 269 votes in favor. Opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, and Samajwadi Party, cast 198 votes against it.
The voting took place in two rounds. The first round, conducted electronically, saw 220 votes in favor and 149 votes against. Following protests by the opposition, Speaker Om Birla ordered a second round of voting using paper slips, allowing MPs who felt their initial votes were not accurately recorded to cast their votes again.
In addition to the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill, the Lok Sabha’s agenda also included other significant legislative measures. These included the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill and amendments to the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991.
While introducing the bill, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal clarified that the legislation would not infringe upon the powers of the states. He also assured that the proposed amendments did not challenge the basic structure of the Constitution. However, the opposition continues to describe the move as “dictatorial.”
