'One Nation, One Election' Bill Tabled in Lok Sabha; Passed with 269 Votes, Sent to JPC

The 'One Nation, One Election' Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday and received 269 votes in its favor while garnering 198 against it. After the voting, the bill was referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further discussion, as suggested by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Amit Shah's Statement on Sending the Bill to JPC

During the debate, Amit Shah explained, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that this bill should be referred to the JPC for detailed discussion at all levels." He added, "The JPC will discuss and evaluate the bill in detail so it will be sufficient to be returned to Parliament for discussion.".

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, agreeing with Shah, submitted the motion to form JPC under Rule 74 of the rules, which made it explicitly clear that the government would not stifle any discussion on the broad contours of the bill.

The opposition strongly protested against the bill. It was Congress leader Jairam Ramesh who termed this as the "first step towards bringing a new Constitution," as the BJP-RSS combine had an idea to change the democratic constitution.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has criticized the bill, asserting that it goes against the Constitution and the people's rights to vote. Supporting the opposition are SP leaders Manish Tewari and Dharmendra Yadav, who delivered speeches against the bill, while SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav termed it as a "threat to true democracy".