The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reportedly planning to issue notices to some of its Members of Parliament (MPs) who were absent during the introduction of bills related to the ‘One Nation, One Election’ plan in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Among the prominent leaders who were absent during this critical parliamentary session are Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Giriraj Singh. These absences have raised questions, especially as the party had issued a three-line whip to ensure the presence of all its MPs during the introduction of the bills in the Lower House of Parliament.
Sources within the BJP have stated that the notices would be sent to the MPs for failing to comply with the party’s directive. The whip had explicitly instructed all BJP MPs to be present for the introduction of the bills, but several key figures reportedly defied the directive, which could lead to disciplinary action.
It remains unclear whether the absent MPs informed the party of their absence due to prior commitments or for other reasons. The news agency ANI reported that party sources have yet to confirm if any of the missing MPs had communicated their unavailability beforehand.
On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha witnessed the introduction of two important bills—the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024. These bills propose the idea of conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, a concept that has been a subject of much debate. The bills were introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The introduction of the bills was met with strong opposition from various members. Opposition MPs pressed for a division vote, which ultimately saw 269 members in favor of introducing the bills and 196 against. Despite the opposition, the government moved forward with the process, and the bills will now be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further deliberations.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while discussing the bills, mentioned that when the One Nation, One Election Bill was first presented to the cabinet for approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recommended that it be sent to the JPC for a detailed discussion. This indicates the government’s intention to thoroughly examine the implications of the proposal and address any concerns raised by both the opposition and various stakeholders. The move to send the bills to a JPC highlights the importance the government places on this reform and its commitment to a thorough and transparent review process.
