The Monsoon session of Parliament will, beginning Monday, be the most significant in recent years as the Centre is looking to push several key legislative proposals, including the much-debated One Nation, One Election Constitution Amendment Bill. But the government is fighting to win the necessary two-thirds majority for constitutional amendments, and if this is achieved, then the political landscape of India will change for decades to come.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has intensified efforts to garner allies and opposition lawmakers after earlier attempts to push big constitutional reforms such as the Delimitation Bill were not successful, government officials said.
One Nation, One Election Back on the Agenda
The One Nation, One Election proposal seeks to synchronise Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections, ending the current system of staggered polls held across different states throughout the five-year cycle.
The Constitution Amendment Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in the Winter Session last year. But due to strong opposition protests, it was referred for further discussion by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
The JPC has since visited several states and met political parties, constitutional experts, civil society organisations and other stakeholders in these states. And now the tenure is extended until August 10, the beginning of the last week of the Monsoon Session.
If the committee is to submit its report by then, the government will introduce a revised version of the Bill incorporating the JPC's recommendations. That would leave only the last four days of the session for Parliament to debate and vote on one of the country's biggest proposed electoral reforms.
How the Proposal Would Work
JPC Chairman PP Chaudhary recently stated that simultaneous elections could eventually become a reality after the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Under this plan, after the new Lok Sabha is formed in 2029, the President would notify a common election cycle. The state Assemblies elected after that date would be amended to make elections for all the Assembly elections in 2034 according to the Lok Sabha polls.
For example, if a state elects a new Assembly in 2031, that Assembly's tenure would end in 2034 instead of completing a full five-year term. Lok Sabha and Assembly elections would then be held simultaneously throughout the country.
Government's Numbers Improve
Passing the Bill will require a special majority with at least two-thirds of members present and voting in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in favour of the amendment.
While the NDA enjoys a majority in Parliament, it is still in need of more support to comfortably cross the constitutional threshold in Lok Sabha.
Government sources believe its position has improved since the previous session. Some opposition parties have shifted their support to the ruling alliance; 20 Trinamool Congress (TC) and 6 Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs are among them. They expect support from the NCP (SP) as the party leader Supriya Sule recently indicated.
However, the government may still need support from parties like DMK or abstentions from some of the opposition members to get the numbers.
In the Rajya Sabha, the NDA is believed to be much closer to the required two-thirds majority.
State Ratification Still Required
In a parliamentary amendment, the reform cannot be implemented in a moment.
As it will affect the constitutional provisions around states, the proposal also needs to be ratified by at least 50% of India's state legislatures before it becomes law. However, with the BJP-led NDA in power at present in several states, it is expected that the government will be able to clear this stage if it wins in Parliament first.
Opposition Continues to Resist
Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc remain firmly against the idea. The Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party and Aam Aadmi Party have said synchronised elections could weaken India’s federal structure and reduce attention to state-specific problems.
The proposal would also disadvantage regional parties and put constitutional questions on the table when an elected state government loses its majority before the end of its term.
With the government eager to take on one of its most ambitious electoral reforms ahead of the 2029 general elections, the Monsoon Session will be characterized by intense political negotiation and heated parliamentary debates. If the Centre can generate the numbers needed to be able to enact the historic constitutional amendment, the session will be one of the most significant.
