'One Nation, One Election' is in national interest: BJP MP Chaudhary

BJP MP PP Chaudhary, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on 'One Nation, One Election,' said the bill is in the national interest. The panel is hearing stakeholders, including media, to gather views for improving the legislation.

BJP MP PP Chaudhary, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee examining the 'One Nation, One Election' bill has said the legislation is in national interest and the panel is hearing views of various stakeholders.

Chaudhary told ANI that the panel today heard views of prominent media persons and eminent journalists. "If the One Nation, One Election concept were implemented—where Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections are held simultaneously once every 5 years, with exceptions made only in the rarest of cases (such as no-confidence motions or by-elections)—I believe every Member of Parliament and MLA would be able to focus entirely on the proceedings of their respective legislative bodies,” he said.

“Therefore, I am of the view that Prime Minister Modi's vision of One Nation, One Election is in the national interest. Having listened to various people, we truly realised the importance of the 'One Nation, One Election' concept—specifically, holding Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections simultaneously," he added.

Panel Engages with Stakeholders

Choudhary said the panel is listening to views of various stakeholders to determine improvements in the bill. Chairman of the JPC formed on 'One Nation, One Election,' BJP MP PP Chaudhary says, "Two meetings took place today. The first was with eminent media personalities. The committee recognises that the media acts as a bridge between the government and the public; they convey the public's voice to the government and the government's message to the public. They represent the fourth pillar of our democracy. Until now, we had primarily focused on the other three pillars, but given the magnitude of the 'One Nation, One Election' electoral reform, we wanted to engage the fourth pillar too,” he said.

“We invited eminent media personalities today, and they offered very valuable suggestions regarding 'One Nation, One Election.' Since the committee is examining the bill referred by Parliament, we are listening to various stakeholders—including the judiciary and eminent constitutional experts—to determine what improvements might be needed. It is the committee's task to examine the bill; after hearing everyone and deliberating on the matter, we will formulate our recommendations," he added. (ANI)

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