Simultaneous polls would conserve resources for vital sectors like education, health: Hema Malini

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament and renowned actress Hema Malini on Dec 17 voiced her support for the 'One Nation, One Election' bill, citing the benefits of synchronized elections in many countries.

She emphasized that frequent elections in India, unlike other countries, hinder her work as an MP due to the model code of conduct enforcement.

Malini claimed that simultaneous elections would conserve resources, which could then be allocated to vital sectors like education and health. This perspective resonates with concerns about the economic burden of frequent elections.

"In every country, elections are held only once, not like India where we have elections all the time. Due to this, I face a lot of problems as an MP when work stops due to the enforcement of the model code of conduct. If elections are held only once, then the money saved can be used for different purposes like education and health..," she said.

On Dec 17, Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024' and 'The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024' was formally introduced in Lok Sabha after 269 members voted on it.

The bill proposes a 'One Nation One Election' or simultaneous elections to both Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The bill will be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions.

The Speaker announced the result of the vote on the introduction of the bill in the House. The vote showed 196 against the bill. This followed Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal's formal introduction of the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, on 'One Nation, One Election' and his agreement to send the bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Manish Tewari opposed the move, arguing, "Beyond the seventh schedule of the Constitution is the basic structure doctrine, which spells out that there are certain features of the Constitution beyond the amending power of the House. The essential features are federalism and the structure of our democracy. Therefore, the bills moved by the Minister of Law and Justice are an absolute assault on the basic structure of the Constitution and are beyond the legislative competence of the House."

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP TR Baalu also opposed the bill, “I oppose the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill, 2024. As my leader M.K. Stalin has said, it is anti-federal. The electors have the right to elect the government for five years, and this right cannot be curtailed with simultaneous elections.”