One Nation, One Election may be ready for 2029 Lok Sabha polls: House panel chief
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 held a two-day meeting in Goa as part of its nationwide consultation process
The visit began with an interaction involving the Goa Chief Minister and members of the state cabinet, seeking state-level views on implementing simultaneous elections
The JPC chairperson stated that consultations held across the country had received strong support from civil society stakeholders, and that a workable mechanism for simultaneous elections could be ready in time for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections
An economic study submitted to the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections had estimated that holding elections separately across the country causes an economic loss of nearly Rs 7 lakh crore, cited as part of the rationale for the reform
The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and Article 82A
The Bill proposes to insert a new Article 82A into the Constitution to enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and all State Legislative Assemblies. It defines an "appointed date" (to be notified by the President after a Lok Sabha general election) from which the terms of all State Assemblies constituted afterward would end concurrently with the Lok Sabha's term — effectively synchronising election cycles. A companion amendment to Article 327 adds "conduct of simultaneous elections" to the subjects on which Parliament can make provisions for state legislature elections. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 17 December 2024 and referred the same week to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Key Details
- Article 82A(2)–82A(6) govern how State Assembly terms are curtailed or extended to align with the Lok Sabha's five-year term, including the scenario where the Lok Sabha itself is dissolved before its full term
- The JPC is chaired by P.P. Chaudhary and has 39 members (27 from Lok Sabha, 12 from Rajya Sabha)
- The Bill builds on the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections (constituted 2 September 2023, chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind), which submitted its report to the President on 14 March 2024
The Goa consultations and the 2029 timeline cited by the JPC chairperson relate directly to the "appointed date" mechanism under Article 82A — the JPC's report will determine when and how this synchronisation is operationalised.
Special Majority and the Article 368 Ratification Debate
A constitutional amendment ordinarily requires a special majority under Article 368 — a majority of the total membership of each House, and a majority of not less than two-thirds of members present and voting, passed separately in each House. Certain entrenched provisions listed in the proviso to Article 368(2) — those affecting the federal structure (e.g., manner of election of the President, representation of States in Parliament, provisions relating to the Supreme Court and High Courts) — additionally require ratification by the legislatures of at least one-half of the States. Whether the 129th Amendment Bill needs such ratification is contested: the government's position (echoing the Kovind Committee) is that inserting Article 82A does not touch the entrenched categories in the proviso, so ratification is not required; critics argue that curtailing State Assembly terms affects the federal structure and should require it.
Key Details
- Special majority = majority of total membership + two-thirds of members present and voting, in each House separately
- State ratification (Article 368(2) proviso) applies only to a specific enumerated list of federal provisions
- The debate over whether the 129th Amendment falls within this list is a live constitutional question, not yet settled by courts
The Bill's constitutional passage requires special majority in both Houses; the ratification question remains one of the key issues the JPC is expected to address in its report.
Joint Parliamentary Committee as a Legislative Scrutiny Mechanism
A JPC is an ad hoc committee formed by both Houses of Parliament to examine a specific bill or issue in detail, distinct from permanent subject-wise Department-Related Standing Committees and from a Select Committee (formed by a single House). JPCs are typically constituted for bills of significant national or constitutional consequence and include members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in a fixed ratio.
Key Details
- JPCs have previously been used for matters such as the 2G spectrum allocation issue and the Pegasus snooping controversy
- The JPC on the 129th Amendment Bill has 39 members and has undertaken visits to multiple states to consult with state governments, political parties, and civil society
The Goa visit is one leg of the JPC's nationwide outreach before it finalises recommendations on the simultaneous elections bills.
- Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 introduced in Lok Sabha: 17 December 2024; referred to JPC: 19 December 2024
- JPC composition: 39 members (27 Lok Sabha + 12 Rajya Sabha), chaired by P.P. Chaudhary
- High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections: constituted 2 September 2023, chaired by Ram Nath Kovind; report submitted to the President on 14 March 2024
- Kovind Committee recommended a two-step approach: Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections simultaneously first, followed by local body (municipality/panchayat) elections within 100 days
- Estimated economic loss cited from non-simultaneous elections: approximately Rs 7 lakh crore
- Target rollout cited by the JPC chairperson: in time for the 2029 Lok Sabha general elections