BENAULIM: Political parties in Goa presented sharply divided views on the proposed Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill on “One Nation, One Election” during a consultation held by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Saturday, with opposition parties rejecting the proposal and the BJP strongly defending it.
Leaders from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) argued that holding simultaneous elections across the country would weaken India’s federal framework and adversely affect democratic processes.
Congress MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira said every opposition representative who participated in the consultation opposed the Bill. He said the parties had objected to the proposal clause by clause but could not reveal the details of the discussions due to the confidentiality norms governing JPC proceedings.
Congress MP Captain Viriato Fernandes maintained that the country’s federal structure must be safeguarded and claimed that even some allies within the NDA were not entirely convinced about the proposal.
The AAP also rejected the Bill and instead called for changes to the Anti-Defection Law. The party alleged that the existing law was being exploited to encourage defections and bring down democratically elected governments.
Responding to the criticism, senior BJP leader and JPC member Anurag Thakur said the Narendra Modi government had a track record of implementing major structural reforms, citing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as an example. He said the One Nation, One Election proposal was another significant reform aimed at improving governance.
Thakur said the committee’s final report would explain the rationale behind the proposal and its expected benefits, describing it as legislation with the potential to transform the country’s electoral system. He urged political parties to view the issue from the perspective of national interest rather than political considerations.
He also announced that the JPC’s next round of consultations on the proposed legislation will take place in Lucknow.