BJP to send notice to over 20 MPs who skipped voting on One Nation One Election bill in Lok Sabha

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to send notice to over 20 MPs from the party who were absent during the voting on the introduction of the One Nation One Election (ONOE) bill in Lok Sabha, sources said.

The party had issued a whip to MPs to remain present on Tuesday.

The bill has been referred to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) following a fiery debate after Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced it in the Lok Sabha.

“It is good that it is sent to the JPC because it will become a voice of all the political parties. One Nation One Election is anti-constitution, anti-democracy and anti-federal structure. This is not going to save any money,” Shiv Sena UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said.

As the two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections were introduced in the Lok Sabha, the opposition termed it a ‘dictatorial’ move. However, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal asserted that the legislation would not tamper with the powers enjoyed by states.

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill was introduced by Meghwal after a nearly 90-minute debate, followed by a division of votes. As many as 269 members voted in favour of the Bill and 198 against it.

Meghwal also introduced The Union Territories Amendment Bill, which seeks to align elections in the Union territories of Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir with the Lok Sabha polls.

He said the proposed bills did not attack the “basic structure doctrine, as claimed by the opposition”.

Principles such as judicial review, federal character of the Constitution, separation of powers, secular character, supremacy of the Constitution had not changed, Meghwal said, adding that the objections to the Bill were political in nature.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had favoured referring the bills to a joint committee of Parliament for broader deliberations at every level.

“Detailed discussions can take place in the JPC. The JPC report will be approved by the Cabinet. Then again, there will be a discussion on this (bills) in the House,” Shah said.