New Delhi: Following the approval of two bills by the Union Cabinet to implement "One Nation, One Election," as recommended by a high-level committee led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, a number of opposition leaders, including Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal and MK Stalin of Tamil Nadu, denounced the proposed legislation as an assault on "democracy and federalism.”
Urging the people to resist the attack on democracy, Stalin wrote on X, “The Union Cabinet has approved introducing the draconian ‘One Nation, One Election Bill’ in Parliament. This impractical and anti-democratic move will erase regional voices, erode federalism, and disrupt governance. Let us resist this attack on Indian Democracy with all strength”.
The Kovind group proposed simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies as a first step, followed by synchronised polls to local bodies within 100 days of the general election.
The committee suggested 15 constitutional amendments, which would be carried out through two Constitution Amendment Bills. If the Centre agrees to implement the Kovind committee suggestion beginning in 2029, as many as 17 states' assemblies will have tenures of less than three years, TNIE reported.
The Congress has reiterated its opposition to the proposal, accusing the government of attempting to shift attention away from "questions being raised on the electoral integrity of the democratic system.”
“The views of the party on this subject had been forcefully articulated by its President Mallikarjun Kharge on January 17, 2024. Nothing has happened since then to modify them,” said Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal came down heavily on the BJP over its misplaced priorities and said, “The country needs one nation, one education, and one nation, one healthcare system. Not one nation, one election.”
West Bengal Chief Minister, a vociferous critic of the proposal, has stated that Trinamool MPs will fight the harsh legislation tooth and nail in Parliament.