Cabinet nod to ‘One Nation One Election’ bill

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved ‘one nation, one election’, sources said. The government is likely to bring a comprehensive bill on the same next week, amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a three-line whip to all its MPs, asking them to be present in the House on December 13 and 14 for discussions on some important legislative business, sources said.

Moving ahead with its ‘one nation, one election’ plan, the government in September accepted the recommendations of the high-level committee for holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies in a phased manner. The committee - which includes Home Minister Amit Shah and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal as members - had said "There is a unanimous opinion that simultaneous polls should be held".

On December 9, sources said that the Narendra Modi government is moving forward with its ‘one nation, one election’ initiative and is preparing to introduce a bill in the Parliament during the current session.