Union cabinet ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Bhupinder Yadav on Thursday voiced strong support for One Nation One Election (ONOE) at a symposium in Delhi, stating that the reform will not only transform the country’s economic landscape but also aid in achieving the constitutional goals of social, economic, political justice, equality and fraternity.
Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said ONOE is not a decision taken in haste but a long-considered reform involving decades of deliberation, that can only be implemented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Union environment Minister Bhupinder Yadav said that the simultaneous elections must not be the agenda of a single political party but a necessary step for serving nation’s collective interest.
Speaking at the symposium organised by the organisation Lawyers Voice on “One Nation One Election: Need of the Hour” at the Delhi high court, Meghwal said that holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies could lead to a 1.5% increase in the country’s GDP and accelerate India’s progress in becoming the third largest economy. “We are already the fourth-largest economy in the world, and soon we will become the third-largest. This reform will only accelerate our progress,” he said.
The law minister, in his speech, also addressed the concerns about the lack of consensus and clarified that the government consulted 47 political parties in this process. “A lot of people say that the decision was taken without consultation but we invited 47 political parties and 32 out of 47 agreed. 15 said that they disagree with it. We have the Law Commission’s report, the parliamentary standing committee’s report of 2015, Niti Aayog has also supported simultaneous elections,” the minister said.
{{/usCountry}}The law minister, in his speech, also addressed the concerns about the lack of consensus and clarified that the government consulted 47 political parties in this process. “A lot of people say that the decision was taken without consultation but we invited 47 political parties and 32 out of 47 agreed. 15 said that they disagree with it. We have the Law Commission’s report, the parliamentary standing committee’s report of 2015, Niti Aayog has also supported simultaneous elections,” the minister said.
{{/usCountry}}Meghwal said that even public opinion is in favour of simultaneous elections. “We received 5,032 responses through our website, and 3,837 supported One Nation, One Election. This shows that the public, too, wants this reform,” he added.
Adding to the discourse, Yadav, while calling elections a means to secure people’s mandate, said that ONOE would also ensure better coordination between Centre and the state governments in implementation of developmental reforms.
“Elections are the means to seek people’s mandate and work towards the betterment of the country and that is why conducting one nation one election is important. This reform will help strengthen democratic values by ensuring that every citizen’s voice—rich or poor—is represented effectively in Parliament,” Yadav said.
Also known as simultaneous elections, ONOE proposes aligning the election cycles of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by allowing the voters to cast their ballots for both tiers of government on the same day in their constituencies. The proposal was a part of the BJP’s 2024 poll manifesto and is backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who argues that it will trim election costs and shift focus to governance.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal had introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, commonly called the one nation, one election Bill in Lok Sabha in December last year and was later referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).