The ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bills paving way for simultaneous elections is unlikely to be introduced in Lok Sabha on December 16, Monday, according to the revised list of business in the lower house of Parliament.

The two bills that were approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet on Thursday include, The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The bills pave way for unified elections across the nation. Earlier, the two bills were mentioned to be introduced in the Lok Sabha for introduction against Union Law Minister, Arjun Ram Meghwal in the list of business for December 16. But the ‘revised’ list of business uploaded on the Lok Sabha website later does not feature the two bills.

The government plans to introduced the bills in the ongoing winter session Parliament before referring then to theJoint Parliamentary Committee(JPC) for wider scrutiny, according to sources.

The bills that pave way for unified elections across the nation has been on the agenda of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for quite some time now.

The Winter Session of ParliamentOne Nation, One Election‘ bills may be introduced in the Lok Sabha later this week, after completion of financial business, including the passage of the first batch of supplementary demands for grants, which are listed for discussion on Monday, according to reports.

The bills that are mentioned to be introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday include The Appropriation (No.3) Bill, 2024 and The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024.

The government, however, has an option of bringing in legislative proposals through ‘Supplementary List of Business‘ with the Speaker’s permission.

What is ‘One Nation, One Election’?

One passed in the Parliament, the Lok Sabha, the Assembly, and the local body (urban or rural) elections will be held in the same year, if not at the same time.

The high-level panel headed by former president Ram Nath KovindAssembly polls together. Local body elections will be held within 100 days, the panel recommended.

The panel said in the report that simultaneous elections could ‘transform the electoral process.’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet has approved the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill to be tabled in the Parliament in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. 

The bill paves way for unified elections across the nation. The government will eventually refer the bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further scrutiny, according to sources.

The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the implementation of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ in September this year to conduct simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies in a phased approach.

The high-level panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind submitted the report in March before the announcement of Lok Sabha elections. Placing the report before the Cabinet was a part of the law ministry’s 110-day agenda.

Game-changer, says Kovind

The panel recommended simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies as the first step, followed by synchronised local body polls within 100 days. The panel also recommended conducting two-phase polls in India.

Earlier this week, Kovind said that the Union government must build a consensus on the ‘One Nation, One ElectionKovind panelWinter Session of Parliament began on Monday, November 25, and will run till December 20. 

The Congress-led opposition moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday, the first such incident in the country’s Parliamentary history. 

Congress Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and general secretary in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh said all parties belonging to the INDIA group have had no option but to formally submit a no-confidence motion against the Dhankhar for the “extremely partisan manner in which he has been conducting the proceedings” of the House.

“It has been a very painful decision for the INDIA parties to take, but in the interests of parliamentary democracy they have had to take this step,” he said.

The signatories included members of parliament representing the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Samajwadi Party, the DMK and the RJD. 

The motion has just been submitted to the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, Ramesh said.

The motion was reportedly submitted on Tuesday after chaos erupted in both Houses of Parliament. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs and opposition members clashed over various issues, including alleged links between Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and US businessman George Soros.

The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha houses were adjourned for the day due to the chaos during the Winter Session of Parliament that began on November 25.

Considering the numbers in favour of the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the motion against the RS chairperson is expected to be defeated in the House. The INDIA bloc opposition had been planning to move the motion against Dhankhar for quite some time now. By moving it on Tuesday, the INDIA bloc wants to send a message against the RS chairperson who, it alleges, as presiding officer of the House, doesn’t give its leaders an opportunity to speak in the House.

BJP’s allegations against Sonia Gandhi

The BJP has been attempting to counter Adani’s bribery allegations by linking Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul Gandhi, with US billionaire George Soros. Sonia is a Rajya Sabha MP, while Rahul is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

On Monday, Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju claimed that Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi’s alleged connection with George Soros is a “serious” issue, urging all political parties, including the Congress, to unite against “anti-India forces”.

A day before, the saffron party alleged that Sonia Gandhi had links to an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation, which has ‘backed’ the idea of Kashmir as an independent nation.

Parliament Winter Session: Some Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Lok Sabha affiliated to the Congress and other opposition parties have expressed reservations over the continued stalling of the Parliament over Adani bribery charges in the ongoing winter session.

The proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were washed out in first week of the Parliament’s Winter Session ending November 29, marred by protests by the Opposition over a host of issues including the Adani bribery case, Manipur, and violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.

Both the Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the fourthWinter Session of ParliamentRahul Gandhi has been at the forefront of protests on Adani issue. The Raebareli MP, has sought the arrest of Adani over recent charges.

Last month, Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest men, and seven others were indicted for fraud by US prosecutors over their alleged roles in a $265 million schemeAdani GroupNarendra Modi-led Union government has listed 16 bills for the for the session, which ends on December 20. Five of these bills have been listed for introduction, consideration and passage, while 10 are for consideration and passage, according to the bulletin of the Lok Sabha.

Parliament Winter Session 2024 Bills

The only business the Lok Sabha could do last week was taking up some questions and the adoption of extension of deadline for the Joint Parliamentary Panel (JPC), which is examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.BJP MP, Jagdambika Pal, moved the motion and which was adopted by the Lok Sabha.

The other bills for consideration and passage in the upcoming session include the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, the Railways (Amendment) Bill, the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, and the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill.

The bills listed for introduction also include the Rashtriya Sahkari Vishwavidyalaya Bill, which seeks to establish Rashtriya Sahkari Vishwavidyalaya.

The Punjab Courts (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to amend the Punjab Courts Act, 1918, to enhance the pecuniary appellate jurisdiction of Delhi District Courts from the existing ₹3 lakh to ₹20 lakh, is also listed for introduction in the Winter Session of Parliament.