Wed Jan 08 11:52:40 UTC 2025: ## Congress Raises Doubts on “One Nation, One Election” Bill’s Viability
**New Delhi:** The first meeting of the joint parliamentary committee examining the “One Nation, One Election” Bill saw Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra raise crucial questions about its feasibility. While she remained silent to the press, sources revealed she questioned the economic viability of simultaneous elections and the sheer number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) needed for such a large-scale operation.
A Congress MP present at the meeting further argued that the proposal violates the Constitution’s basic structure, as defined by the Supreme Court’s 1973 Kesavananda Bharati case. This landmark ruling established that while Parliament can amend the Constitution, it cannot alter its fundamental features, including democracy, secularism, federalism, and the rule of law.
The 39-member committee, chaired by BJP’s PP Chaudhary, is examining two related Bills. The initiative is based on recommendations from a committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, which found that 32 out of 47 consulted political parties supported simultaneous elections, while 15 opposed it. Proponents argue this would reduce campaign costs and improve governance efficiency.
However, the Congress and other opposition parties maintain that the proposal undermines the Constitution’s basic structure. Furthermore, the BJP faces a numerical hurdle in passing the constitutional amendment bill, requiring a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha, a threshold they currently lack even with the support of parties like the YSR Congress and Akali Dal. The committee includes prominent members from various parties, including BJP’s Anurag Singh Thakur and Sambit Patra, and Congress’s Manish Tewari, among others. The committee’s deliberations will be crucial in determining the future of this controversial legislation.
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