One Nation, One Election Bill in Lok Sabha: 269 votes in favour, 198 against; who's supporting, who's not?

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Tuesday introduced much-debated 'One Nation, One Election' bill in the Parliament. With the Union Cabinet's approval, this proposal aims to streamline elections for Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, fundamentally altering India's electoral process.

The bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha with 269 MPs voting in favour and 198 against it.

Opposition parties dubbed the draft laws -- a Constitution amendment bill and an ordinary bill -- as an attack on the federal structure, a charge rejected by the government.

The bills were introduced after the opposition sought a division of votes.

After electronic voting and a subsequent count by paper slips, the bills were introduced with 269 members in favour and 198 against. This was the first time that the electronic voting system was used in the Lok Sabha in the new Parliament House.

One Nation, One Election Bill tabled: Who's supporting, who's not?

While the BJP and its allies have backed the bills, several opposition parties, including Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT) have opposed it.

A total of 32 parties are supporting the One Nation One Election move, while 15 others are opposing it. Fence sitters like Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP, BRS, and AIADMK have also backed the legislation that would enable simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha as well as state assemblies.

Shiv Sena (UBT)

Echoing the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the bill was against the Constitution. "It is an attack on the Constitution. It is tampering with the election process. The BJP wants to centralise power. We don't know how cost-effective it will be. We will oppose this bill," she said.

Samajwadi Party

Despite having differences with the Congress on a host of issues, the Samajwadi Party also said it would oppose the legislation.

"In a way, this is another conspiracy to destroy the Constitution," Akhilesh Yadav tweeted.

Trinamool Congress

The Trinamool Congress (TMC), another party that has recently had fraught relations with the Congress, said the party would oppose the One Nation One Election bill "tooth and nail".

"The bill will rob the people of their fundamental right to vote regularly, a right that holds governments accountable and prevents unchecked power," TMP MP Abhishek Banerjee tweeted.

"This is not just a bill rather it is a direct assault on the very foundation of our democracy built through the sacrifices of our founding fathers. Bengal will not sit silent. We will fight tooth and nail to protect the soul of India and crush this anti-democratic agenda," he added.

DMK

DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said its MPs would also oppose the bills, saying it was the BJP's ultimate aim to usher in a presidential form of governance. Stalin argued that the bills, if passed, would eliminate the system of periodic state elections, thereby undermining regional sentiments.

TDP, YSR CONGRESS BACK ONE NATION ONE ELECTION

The bills found support from NDA allies like Chandrababu Naidu's TDP, JD(S) and fence-sitters like YSRCP.

YSRCP MP PV Mithun Reddy said the party did not have any issues with simultaneous polls. "We are already having simultaneous state elections with general elections. We don't have much issues. We will support the bill," he said.

Accusing Congress of double standards, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the country used to have simultaneous polls during the regime of Jawaharlal Nehru after Independence.

"When India got independence, for two decades India had One Nation One Election. It was only after Congress misused Article 356, that there were different elections... Does Congress mean to say that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's government for so long was illegal?" Rijiju said.

Also read: Explained: What 'One Nation, One Election' Bill means for India's electoral process; know key features & more