Justice A.P. Shah terms 'One Nation, One Election' unconstitutional
New Delhi: Former Delhi High Court Chief Justice A.P. Shah has told a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that the proposed 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) Bill is unconstitutional and violates democratic principles and the federal structure, sources said.
Justice Shah, who is also a former chairman of the Law Commission, submitted a 12-page report while deposing before the JPC on Monday (March 18), The New Indian Express reported. He raised concerns over the bill, particularly regarding the power it grants to the Election Commission to recommend postponing state assembly elections.
Assembly elections must be held for full term: Justice Shah
Justice Shah stated that assembly elections should be held for a full five-year term and expressed skepticism over the claim that simultaneous elections would significantly reduce public expenditure. When asked about alternatives to the bill, he said he would present his views to the committee at a later stage.
Harish Salve defends the bill
Senior advocate Harish Salve also appeared before the JPC and supported the bill, arguing that it aligns with constitutional requirements.
ONOE bills introduced amid opposition resistance
Despite strong opposition citing threats to federalism and the basic structure doctrine, the bills facilitating 'One Nation, One Election' were introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2023.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 after a division vote. The introduction was approved with 269 votes in favour and 198 against.
The bills were subsequently referred to a JPC for further examination.
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Tejashwi Yadav to head INDIA Bloc’s coordination committee for Bihar assembly elections
Patna: The opposition INDIA bloc has named Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav as the head of its coordination committee for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
The decision was made during a meeting of the six alliance partners – Congress, RJD, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML)), and the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) – held in Patna on Thursday, April 17.
While the bloc stopped short of formally declaring Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate, it confirmed that he will lead the key decision-making committee for the election campaign. The committee will be responsible for drafting a common minimum programme, finalizing the manifesto, managing seat-sharing talks, and coordinating campaign strategies.
Congress’s Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru, speaking at a joint press conference after the meeting, said, “The coordination committee will be the supreme body for the INDIA alliance, overseeing every aspect of the election. Tejashwi Yadav will be its chairman, and members from all alliance partners will be included.”
The meeting followed Yadav’s recent discussions in Delhi with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Addressing the media after the Patna meeting, Yadav said, “There is deep resentment among the people of Bihar due to unemployment, poverty, and increasing migration. Even the NITI Aayog’s report confirms Bihar as the poorest state despite 20 years of rule under the NDA.”
He further criticized both Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the central government, stating, “The real double engine in Bihar is crime and corruption.”
In the 2020 Assembly elections, the RJD emerged as the single largest party with 75 seats, while Congress won 19 of the 70 it contested. The CPI(ML) secured 12 of 19 seats, and the VIP, despite exiting the alliance before the elections, won four seats.
The INDIA bloc is now preparing to mount a consolidated challenge to the ruling NDA in the upcoming state polls.
