JPC on One Nation, One Election: Priyanka Gandhi Likely to Join Committee

On Thursday, the Union government will formally introduce a resolution in the Lok Sabha to create a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to consider two bills that seek to hold state and national elections at the same time, i.e. One Nation, One Election. 

The JPC will also suggest 21 Lower House legislators to serve on the committee.

Who will be in the JPC?

According to officials, former minister, and prominent BJP MP PP Chaudhary may be named the JPC's chairman by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Among the panelists will be BJP chief minister Ramesh, Parshottambhai Rupala, Vishnu Dayal Ram, Sambit Patra, Anil Baluni, and Vishnu Datt Sharma.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the recently elected Member of Parliament for the Congress, and Bansuri Swaraj, Anurag Thakur, and Bhartruhari Mahtab, members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, will be among the names constituting the JPC. Additionally, the motion will allow for the inclusion of ten Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament. 

Sukhdeo Bhagat, Manish Tewari, and Randeep Singh Surjewala, a Rajya Sabha MP, are also expected to be JPC members, according to a senior party leader.

Additionally, the JPC also plan to include the names of Dharmendra Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Kalyan Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, and TM Selvaganapathi of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

The panel will be required to present its findings on the first day of the final week of the 2025 Budget session.

Lok Sabha’s Agenda for the Day

As stated in the Lower House's Thursday agenda, "Arjun Ram Meghwal (law minister) will propose that the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 be referred to a Joint Committee of the Houses consisting of the following 21 Members from this House."

The Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, and the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, but the opposition parties fiercely opposed them, claiming they violated state sovereignty and were unconstitutional.

One Nation, One Election Bill in JPC?

Following the opposition's forced vote on the bill's introduction, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared in the House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill forwarded to the JPC for a thorough assessment. The bill received the support of 263 Lok Sabha members, while 198 members voted against it. 

The idea of holding simultaneous elections, called "One Nation, One Poll" (ONOP), was included in the BJP's 2024 election manifesto. Prime Minister Narendra Modi supports the proposal, saying it will reduce election expenses and allow more focus on development work.

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