BJP To Send Notice To Its 20 MPs Absent During ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill Vote: Check Who’s On List

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will issue notices to MPs who were absent in the Lok Sabha today when the government’s ambitious “One Nation, One Election” bill was introduced. Their absence did not obstruct the passage of the bill but opened a window for opposition parties, particularly Congress, to challenge the government’s support for the proposed legislation.

According to reports, more than 20 BJP MPs were absent during the vote on the “Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024” on Tuesday. The missing MPs included some big guns from the BJP, such as Union ministers Jagdambika Pal, Shantunu Thakur, BS Raghavendra, Giriraj Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Vijay Baghel, Bhagirath Chaudhary, Udayraje Bhosale, Jayant Kumar Roy, and Jagannath Sarkar.

Despite the party having issued a three-line whip to guarantee their attendance, the lack of those MPs was palpable and has fueled opposition claims of lack of consensus on the issue among the government.

Congress Cashes In

The absence of the BJP lawmakers provided the Congress with an opportunity to criticize the government. Congress leaders argued that if there were genuine support for the bill, such a high number of absentees would not have occurred. Their rhetoric further questioned the strength of the government’s position, suggesting that the bill’s introduction lacked the widespread backing necessary for its successful implementation.

Introduced by the Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, this bill calls for the simultaneous election of the Lok Sabha and state assembly. This has long been one of the contentious points in Indian politics. Despite much opposition to the bill from many political parties, it was finally brought to the Lok Sabha floor for a vote. The bill was passed with 269 votes in favor and 198 against it.

After the voting division, Meghwal also introduced the related “Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” which is intended to change electoral procedures in union territories according to the proposed changes. The two bills were introduced against a backdrop of intense opposition protests.

New Approach To Elections

The introduction of the bills marked a historic moment in Indian parliamentary procedure, as it was the first time an electronic vote was cast on a bill in the newly established Lok Sabha. The procedural shift was noted by the BJP’s efforts to modernize the voting process, even as the opposition parties decried the bills.

After the introduction of the bill, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla sent the House into recess until 3 pm, indicating a hold on further legislative business. But it was made clear by the government that the bill will go to the JPC for proper and extensive discussions before taking a final call.

The home minister has clarifyed the PM’s decision that he desired to take the bill into a further scrutiny in JPC in one of the discussions. A government shows that such a move underlines it by committing for transparency and clearing all kinds of concerns, in which bills like this change have a heavy constitutional impact on the government.

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