The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bills on Wednesday held consultations with Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, with both backing the proposal while stressing the need for constitutional safeguards and a broad-based consensus.
The committee, headed by PP Chaudhary, is examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and is consulting states and stakeholders before finalising its recommendations.
During a meeting at the Delhi Secretariat, CM Gupta described simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections as “the need of the hour”, saying they would save time, resources and reduce disruptions caused by the frequent enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
She said repeated elections keep the administrative machinery occupied, delay development works and affect public services. Referring to Delhi, CM Gupta said the Assembly elections were held roughly a year after the Lok Sabha polls and indicated that the government was willing to consider a suitable adjustment in the Assembly’s tenure, if required, in the national interest to align the electoral cycle.
The CM also told the committee that the government would submit detailed written suggestions after examining the constitutional, legal and administrative aspects of the proposed reforms. Later, during the committee’s visit to the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Speaker Vijender Gupta called for a consensus-based approach to the proposed reforms. He said simultaneous elections were the norm in the years immediately after Independence, but political developments and premature dissolution of legislatures eventually led to staggered electoral cycles. He said frequent elections impose significant administrative and financial costs.
