The Lok Sabha at once referred the Election Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee

Minister of State Arjun Ram Meghwal speaking in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament, New Delhi, December 17, 2024. Photo credit: PTI

The 129th Constitution Amendment Bill to conduct simultaneous Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections has been sent to the Parliamentary Committee after Law Minister Arjunram Meghwal introduced it in Parliament on Tuesday (17 December 2024). Discussion.

The bill was introduced in the House due to division of votes after the request of the opposition MPs. 269 ​​members voted in favor of it and 198 members opposed it.

Most of the opposition leaders claimed that the bill was against the basic structure of the constitution and was ‘anti-union’.

Leading the charge from the opposition bench, Congress member Manish Tiwari said that the tenure of the state legislature cannot be subordinated to the tenure of the Lok Sabha. He said the bill was a matter of over-centralization.

Home Minister Amit Shah told the House that while the bill was being approved by the Union Cabinet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested that it be sent to a joint parliamentary committee.

The bill seeks to insert a new article in the constitution and to amend the mechanism of simultaneous election of the Lok Sabha and the House of Representatives into three articles. It seeks to insert a new Article 82A – simultaneous election of the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and all Legislative Assemblies and to amend Article 83 (tenure of Houses of Parliament), Article 172 (tenure of State Legislatures) and Article 327 (tenure of Parliament). Power of Parliament to make provisions in relation to elections to the Legislature).