Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is expected to table the bill -the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 -sources said. Once introduced, he will likely ask Speaker Om Birla to refer the bill to a joint committee – to be constituted based number of seats held by various parties – for wider consultation.
As the single largest party in the House, the BJP will chair the to-be formed committee and also get the maximum number of seats. Committee members will be announced by the day’s end. The initial term will be 90 days, but this may be extended, sources added.
Last week the Union Cabinet cleared two bills to amend the Constitution and allow the ruling BJP to implement its ‘one nation,one election’ proposal. The bills – and the amendments – were
recommended by a panel led by former President Ram Nath Kovind, and with Home Minister Amit Shah as a member, in a report filed in September.
These provisions are not expected to come into effect before the 2034 election; according to the bill, its provisions will be enforced after an ‘appointed’ date to be notified after the first sitting of a new Lok Sabha, which, in this case, is already over.
Once a date is set, should a legislative Assembly be dissolved ahead of scheduled, mid-term polls will be held for a new legislature to complete the previous term.
