Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji
Panaji, Jul 8: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the constitutional framework for simultaneous elections will visit Goa on July 10 and 11 as part of its nationwide consultations on the proposed 'One Nation, One Election' initiative, with the BJP-led state government backing the proposal and the Congress preparing to oppose it.
The committee, headed by PP Chaudhary, is reviewing the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seek to create the legal and constitutional framework for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
During its two-day visit, the panel will meet Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, cabinet ministers, MLAs, senior government officials, the Chief Electoral Officer, representatives of political parties, legal experts, academicians, industry bodies, public sector undertakings, eminent citizens and members of the media.
The committee will also interact with representatives of higher educational institutions, professional associations, business organisations and central public sector enterprises operating in the state.
According to government sources, questionnaires have already been circulated to various authorities ahead of the visit, and their responses will be submitted during the consultations.
The BJP-led government is expected to support the proposal, maintaining that simultaneous elections would reduce election-related expenditure and improve governance.
Officials argued that frequent elections lead to repeated enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, delaying policy decisions and the implementation of development projects for several weeks or even months.
The Congress, however, plans to strongly oppose the proposal before the committee, contending that simultaneous elections are contrary to the basic structure of the Constitution and weaken India's federal democratic framework.
Party leaders also argued that synchronising elections would undermine the autonomy of states and reduce the accountability of elected governments to the people.