The Joint Parliamentary Committee on ‘One Nation, One Election’ is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, from 10 AM to 5 PM, according to reports.
New Delhi: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on ‘One Nation, One Election’ held several important sessions recently, where prominent legal experts and Parliamentarians shared their views on the topic.
The sessions started with an interaction with Justice Hemant Gupta, who is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India. After this, there was a session with Justice S.N. Jha, who earlier served as the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
The next session was conducted by Dr. Justice B.S. Chauhan, who is also a former Supreme Court judge and was the Chairman of the 21st Law Commission of India. Finally, Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a Member of the Rajya Sabha and Senior Advocate, addressed the committee.
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Earlier, the Chairman of the JPC, PP Chaudhary, spoke about the upcoming launch of the website for the committee.
While talking to ANI, he said
“The committee took decisions on two major things –1 the advertisement will be printed in all languages so that all stakeholders can give their opinion… Secondly, the website will facilitate inputs from all stakeholders… This is being examined by the Secretary General.. The development of technology is taking time to ensure the website doesn’t crash… The website will be launched soon with a QR code facility. Suggestions will be collected, and Parliamentarians will review them…”
PP Chaudhary also discussed the state tour being organized by the JPC.
He said: “The committee believes that it should visit all states and hear their opinions, which is why the tour is being organised. Maharashtra will be covered first, then Uttarakhand in May. Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Chandigarh (encompassing Punjab and Haryana), will be covered in June, categorised according to different areas….”
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He further commented on the regular elections happening across India and their impact.
He stated: “Elections happen every 5-6 months somewhere in the country… The MPs and MLAs remain in election mode around the year… The work that needs to happen quickly in the nation doesn’t happen that fast. If the ‘One Nation, One Election’ cycle is maintained, Viksit Bharat can be achieved much earlier than 2047.. However, the Union government now believes that the elections for Panchayats, Municipalities, and local self-governments must be held within 100 days of the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.”
A very important meeting of the JPC was held on March 25 and lasted for over five hours. BJP MP and Committee Chairman PP Chaudhary shared that former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, D.N. Patel, presented his views in the meeting, which was followed by an interactive session with the committee members. Later, the Attorney General of India, R. Venkataramani, also joined and gave his valuable input.
Chaudhary said: “One Nation, One Election’ idea is in the best interest of the nation.”
According to senior sources from the JPC and the committee on ‘One Nation, One Election’, former Delhi High Court Justice D.N. Patel said that the plan would reduce election-related expenses, improve the quality of governance, and make the election process easier. He explained that issues like availability of EVMs, maintaining security, and staffing must be handled carefully.
Justice Patel said:
“One Nation One Election is a desirable subject, subject to amendments and precautions. It would not disrupt the basic structure of the Constitution. The federal structure of the Constitution would also remain intact.”
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The Attorney General R. Venkataramani supported the proposed amendments. According to sources, he said they would lead to financial savings and better governance.
He stated
“It is not opposed to the principle of federalism as enshrined in the Constitution of India. The introduction of this constitutional amendment would not violate the basic structure doctrine. The powers of the Election Commission as envisaged under the proposed constitutional amendments need to be more clearly delineated. It would also enhance greater accountability in governance.”
He also gave his opinion on a suggestion made by some experts about the difference between small and major changes in the terms of state assemblies.
He said
“I did not support the idea of a clear distinction between significant and minor curtailment of state assembly terms.”
Some Members of Parliament in the committee also raised doubts and concerns about the possibility of conducting Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections at the same time. They asked how national and regional issues—often very different—could be managed in one single election. They also requested clarification about how regional political parties and their unique issues would be properly represented while protecting democratic values.
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