CONTENTS

1) Short Title And Commencement

2) Definitions
3) Implementations of The Simultaneous Elections Mentioned in the Bill
4) Amendments To the Constitution Of India & Representation Of People Act,
1951
5) Objectives And Reasons For Proposal of One Nation One Election
Standing Committee of Bill
Shri Narendra Modi (Hon’able Prime Minister Of India)

Shri Amit Shah (Hon’able Home Minister Of ndia)

Shri Arjun Ram Megwal (Hon’able Law and Justice Minister Of India)

Shri Rajnath Singh( Hon’able Defence Minister Of India)

Shri Kiren Rijiju (Hon’able Earth Science Minister Of India)

Shri Nirmala Sitaraman (Hon’able Finance Minister Of India)

Shri S. Jaishankar (Hon’able Foreign Affairs Minister Of India)

As Introduced In Lok Sabha
 INTRODUCED IN LOK SABHA

Bill No.- 12 of 2024

One Nation One Election BILL, 2024

BILL

To synchronize the electoral cycles of Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies,

and local bodies across India(i.e. Bharat).

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Seventy-sixth Year of the Republic of India(i.e.

Bharat) as follows–

CHAPTER I

PRELIMINARY

1.(1) This Act may be called the One Nation One Election Act, 2024.

(2) It extends to the whole of India(i.e. Bharat)

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by
notification in the Official Gazette, appoint and different dates may be appointed for
different provisions of this Act and any reference in any provision to the
commencement of this Act shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force
of that provision.

2. The One Nation One Election Bill refers to a proposed legislation aimed at
synchronizing the electoral schedules of various tiers of government in India,
including the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament), State Legislative
Assemblies, and local bodies. The bill's primary objective is to hold all these elections
concurrently, thereby reducing the frequency of polls and creating a more streamlined
electoral process. This initiative seeks to enhance administrative efficiency, reduce the
financial burden of conducting elections, and allow elected representatives to focus on
governance and developmental activities instead of constant campaigning. It aims to
foster political stability, coherence, and efficiency in the democratic functioning of the
country by aligning election cycles at different levels of government.

CHAPTER II

INTRODUCTION

1. The concept of simultaneous elections is not new to the country and in-fact the
country started its first election cycle to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies
simultaneously post-independence in 1951-52. This synchronized cycle continued till
the end of third Lok Sabha when it finally got disrupted during the fourth Lok Sabha
and has continued so ever since. In the current situation, the country witnesses
elections to about 5-7 State Assemblies every year (except few exceptional years).
Such a situation ends up adversely impacting all the key stakeholders – the
Government (both Union and the State Governments), government
employees/officials on election duty, general electors/voters, as well as political
parties and candidates. Having set the context by defining simultaneous elections and
discussing the historical perspective and relevant constitutional and statutory
provisions that drive the conduct of elections in the country, this section focuses on
justifying why it is imperative to consider holding simultaneous elections in the
country.

2. The key adverse impacts that the existing electoral cycle leads to could be
broadly categorized into the following:

A. Impact on development programs and governance due to imposition of Model

Code of Conduct by the Election Commission;

B. Frequent elections lead to massive expenditures by

Government and other stakeholders;

C. Engagement of security forces for significantly prolonged periods and;

D. Other Issues:
1.Frequent elections disrupt normal public life;
 2.Frequent elections perpetuate caste, religion and communal issues across the
country;
3.Frequent elections adversely impact the focus of governance and policy making.

CHAPTER III

IMPLEMENTATION

1. To implement simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and all State

Assemblies at one go from April – May 2024 (i.e before June 2024). If this is
to be done, then estimates show that tenures of many State Assemblies would
need to be curtailed by more than 4 years and no State Assemblies tenure
would need to be extended by more than 1 year.

2. The detailed assembly-wise view of the above proposal with estimations of

likely extension or curtailment for each assembly is given below.

Table: Suggested Proposal for simultaneous elections and approximate

extensions/curtailments of State Assembly terms (in months)
Synchronization
State Assembly/ Phase
Elections Next Election
S. No.
Lok Sabha Before Before May-June
2024

1 Andhra Pradesh Jun-19 Jun-24 No Change

2 Arunachal Pradesh Jun-19 Jun-24 No Change
3 Assam Jun-21 Jun-26 Curtail 24 months

4 Bihar Nov-20 Nov-25 Curtail 17 months

5 Chhattisgarh Jan-19 Jan-24 Extend 5 months
6 Goa Mar-22 Mar-27 Curtail 39 months

7 Gujarat Jan-23 Jan-28 Curtail 53 months

8 Haryana Nov-19 Nov-24 Curtail 5 months
9 Himachal Pradesh Jan-23 Jan-28 Curtail 53 months

10 Jammu and Kashmir * Mar-21 Mar-26 Curtail 27 months

11 Jharkhand Jan-20 Jan-25 Curtail 7 months
12 Karnataka May-23 May-28 Curtail 48 months
13 Kerala Jun-21 Jun-26 Curtail 24 months

14 Madhya Pradesh Jan-19 Jan-24 Extend 5 months

15 Maharashtra Nov-19 Nov-24 Curtail 5 months
16 Manipur Mar-22 Mar-27 Curtail 39 months

17 Meghalaya Mar-23 Mar-28 Curtail 51 months

18 Mizoram Dec-18 Dec-23 Extend 7 months
19 Nagaland Mar-23 Mar-28 Curtail 51 months
20 Odisha Jun-19 Jun-24 No Change

21 Punjab Mar-22 Mar-27 Curtail 39 months

22 Rajasthan Jan-19 Jan-24 Extend 5 months
23 Sikkim May-19 Jun-24 No Change

24 Tamil Nadu Jun-21 Jun-26 Curtail 24 months

25 Telangana Jun-19 Jun-24 No Change
26 Tripura Mar-23 Mar-28 Curtail 51 months
27 Uttar Pradesh Mar-22 Mar-27 Curtail 39 months

28 Uttarakhand May-22 Mar-27 Curtail 39 months

29 West Bengal Jun-21 Jun-26 Curtail 24 months
30 NCT of Delhi Feb-20 Feb-25 Curtail 8 months

31 Puducherry Jun-21 Jun-26 Curtail 24 months

32 Lok Sabha Jun-19 Jun-24 No Change
*Note: The State of J&K has been included in this proposal as a start. However, given that
the tenure of the State Assembly is 6 years, it will need to be treated separately in subsequent
cycles.

CHAPTER IV

AMENDMENT I
TO THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA

1. Following amendment in the Article 172(1);

“Every Legislative Assembly of every State, unless sooner dissolved, shall
continue for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and no
longer and the expiration of the said period of five years shall operate as a
dissolution of the Assembly:
 Provided that the said period may, ordered by the Executive of the country.”

1.1 Following amendment in the Article 172(2);

“The Legislative Council of a State shall be subject to dissolution, only by a
bill passed by the Legislative under the direction of the Executive of the
country.”

2. Following amendment in the Article 365;

Provisions in case of failure of constitutional machinery in States.—(1) If the
President, on receipt of a report from the Governor of a State or otherwise, is
satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the Government of the State cannot
be carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution, the
President may by Proclamation, provided that such proclamation does not
interfere with the synchronized schedule of elections under the One Nation,
One Election system—

This proposed amendment specifies that any Proclamation made under

Article 356 should not disrupt the synchronized election schedule established
by the One Nation, One Election system. This would help ensure that the
implementation of ONOE is not hindered by the imposition of President's Rule
in a state.

3. Following amendment in the Article 243;

Definitions.—In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires,—

(a) "district" means a district in a State;

(b) "Gram Sabha" means a body consisting of persons registered in the

electoral rolls relating to a village comprised within the area of Panchayat at
the village level;

(c) "intermediate level" means a level between the village and district levels
specified by the Governor of a State by public notification to be the
intermediate level for the purposes of this Part and shall be organized in
conjunction with synchronized state and national elections;
(d) "Panchayat" means an institution (by whatever name called) of
self-government constituted under article 243B, for the rural areas, and shall
hold elections concurrently with state and national elections, as per the
provisions of the One Nation, One Election system;

(e) "Panchayat area" means the territorial area of a Panchayat;

(f) "Population" means the population as ascertained at the last preceding

census of which the relevant figures have been published;

(g) "village" means a village specified by the Governor by public notification to

be a village for the purposes of this Part and includes a group of villages so
specified.

3.1 Following amendment in the Article 243U;

Duration of Municipalities, etc.—
(1) Every Municipality, unless sooner dissolved under any law for the time
being in force, shall continue for five years from the date appointed for its
first meeting and no longer: Provided that a Municipality shall be given a
reasonable opportunity of being heard before its dissolution.

(2) No amendment of any law for the time being in force shall have the effect
of causing dissolution of a Municipality at any level, which is functioning
immediately before such amendment, till the expiration of its duration
specified in clause (1), in accordance with the principles of One Nation One
Election.

(3) An election to constitute a Municipality shall be completed,—

(a) before the expiry of its duration specified in clause (1);

(b) before the expiration of a period of six months from the date of its
dissolution, in accordance with the principles of One Nation One Election:
Provided that where the remainder of the period for which the dissolved
Municipality would have continued is less than six months, it shall not be
necessary to hold any election under this clause for constituting the
Municipality for such period.
 (4) A Municipality constituted upon the dissolution of a Municipality before
the expiration of its duration shall continue only for the remainder of the
period for which the dissolved Municipality would have continued under
clause (1) had it not been so dissolved, in accordance with the principles of
One Nation One Election.

4. Following amendment in the 324;

(1) The superintendence, direction, and control of the preparation of the
electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and to the
Legislature of every State, and of elections to the offices of President and
Vice-President held under this Constitution, shall be vested in a
Commission referred to in this Constitution as the Election Commission.

(2) The Election Commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner
and such number of other Election Commissioners, if any, as the President
may from time to time fix. The appointment of the Chief Election
Commissioner and other Election Commissioners shall be made by the
President, subject to the provisions of any law made in that behalf by
Parliament.

(3) When any other Election Commissioner is appointed, the Chief Election
Commissioner shall act as the Chairman of the Election Commission.

(4) Before each general election to the House of the People and to the
Legislative Assembly of each State, and before the first general election,
and thereafter before each biennial election to the Legislative Council of
each State having such Council, the President may, after consultation with
the Election Commission, appoint such Regional Commissioners as
deemed necessary to assist the Election Commission in the performance of
the functions conferred on the Commission by clause (1).

(5) Subject to the provisions of any law made by Parliament, the conditions of
service and tenure of office of the Election Commissioners and the
Regional Commissioners shall be determined by the President through
rules. It is further provided that the Chief Election Commissioner shall not
be removed from office except in a manner and on grounds similar to that
of a Judge of the Supreme Court. The conditions of service of the Chief
 Election Commissioner shall not be varied to his disadvantage after his
appointment. Any other Election Commissioner or a Regional
Commissioner shall not be removed from office except on the
recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.

(6) The President, or the Governor of a State, shall, when requested by the
Election Commission, make available to the Election Commission or to a
Regional Commissioner such staff as may be necessary for the discharge of the
functions conferred on the Election Commission by clause (1), in accordance
with the provisions of the One Nation One Election system.

AMENDMENT II
THE REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE ACT, 1951

1. Synchronization of Election Dates (Section 14);

The Election Commission, in accordance with the One Nation One Election
system, shall fix the synchronized date or dates for the taking of a poll, and
shall call upon such of the candidates as it may think fit by notice in writing to
pay, within the time and in the manner specified in the notice, a deposit (the
amount of which shall be not less than one hundred rupees).
2. Coordination with State Election Commissions (Section 21);
The Election Commission, in consultation with the State Election
Commissions, shall ensure due consistency in the conduct of elections, as per
the provisions of the One Nation One Election system, including the
simultaneous holding of elections to the House of the People and to the
Legislative Assembly of the
State.

3. Review of Election Schedules (Section 27A);

The Election Commission shall, in consultation with the Central
Government and the Governments of the States, review periodically the
division and adjustment of constituencies, the allocation of seats to the
Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and the delimitation of
constituencies, taking into consideration the requirements of the One Nation
One Election system.
 STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

The "One Nation One Election" concept has been proposed with several objectives
and reasons in mind:

1. Reduced Disruption: Frequent elections at various levels of government lead

to continuous campaigning and can disrupt governance and policy
implementation. Synchronizing elections aims to minimize these disruptions.

2. Financial Efficiency: Conducting elections is a resource-intensive process.

Holding multiple elections at different times increases the financial burden on
the government and electoral machinery. Aligning the election cycles is
intended to optimize the utilization of resources.

3. Enhanced Voter Participation: Continuous elections may lead to voter fatigue

and reduced voter turnout. Synchronized elections could potentially improve
voter participation by consolidating voting efforts.

4. Focus on Governance: Elected representatives often spend a significant

portion of their term in campaign mode. Aligning elections allows elected
officials to dedicate more time to governance, policy-making, and
development activities.

5. Political Stability: Frequent elections can lead to unstable political scenarios.

Synchronizing elections aims to bring greater stability to the political
landscape

by reducing the frequency of electoral contests.

6. Policy Continuity: Synchronized elections can lead to a more cohesive and

coordinated approach to policy-making, as the central and state governments
will have concurrent mandates.

7. Broader Perspective: Elections at different levels can sometimes result in

divergent political agendas. One Nation One Election seeks to align these
agendas for a more unified and comprehensive national vision.
 8. Streamlined Administration: Coordinated elections can ease the administrative
burden on election commissions and other related agencies, allowing them to
focus on efficient and effective electoral processes.

9. Promotion of Federalism: The proposal seeks to strike a balance between the

autonomy of state governments and the cohesive functioning of the federal
structure by aligning election cycles.

10. The Bill seeks to achieve the above objectives.

Narendra Damordas Modi

New Delhi;

The 13th April, 2024