New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has approved the draft bill for ‘One Nation, One Election.’ Indications suggest that the comprehensive bill will be introduced in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. Earlier, the Union Cabinet had approved the report submitted by a committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind on simultaneous elections. This approval was granted in September.
The bill will be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. Recently, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan strongly advocated for ‘One Nation, One Election,’ arguing that frequent elections hinder the country’s progress. Ram Nath Kovind had also put forth several recommendations.
One of the most critical recommendations is to ensure the availability of election materials. All necessary facilities must be guaranteed to conduct elections securely. If simultaneous elections are to be implemented by 2029, the terms of certain legislative assemblies may need to be curtailed. Assembly terms could be reduced to four years, three years, two years, or even one year in certain cases.
States like Jharkhand, Bihar, and Delhi may see their legislative assembly terms reduced to four years. Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry may face a reduction to three years. States such as Manipur, Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat may see their terms cut to two years, while Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Karnataka, Telangana, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan may have their terms reduced to just one year.
