Congress Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari said the introduction of the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, which will pave the way for One Nation One Election initiative of the Narendra government, assaults the basic structure of the Constitution and exceed the legislative competence of the Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, the bill introduced in Lok Sabha and 269 voted in favour of the motion while 198 members opposed it.

Manish Tewari said: “Therefore, it is imperative that we oppose these bills and ensure their introduction is halted.

I rise to oppose the introduction of the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws Amendment Bill, 2024.

Beyond the 7th Schedule of the Constitution lies the basic structure doctrine, which stipulates that certain features of the Indian Constitution are beyond the amending power of this House.

One of the essential features is federalism and the structure of our democracy. The bills, moved by the Honorable Minister of Law and Justice, assault the basic structure of the Constitution and exceed the legislative competence of this House.

Therefore, it is imperative that we oppose these bills and ensure their introduction is halted.”

After voting was completed, the Congress party said the bill failed to gain two third support, which is important for amendment of Constitution. “Two-thirds majority (307) was needed out of the total 461 votes, but the government secured only 263, while the opposition got 198. The ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal failed to gain two-thirds support,” Congress’ Manickam Tagore said.

In another development, Home Minister Amit Shah said that when the One Nation, One Election Bill was taken up in the cabinet for approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that it should be sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee for detailed discussion.

A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is a temporary committee formed with members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to investigate specific issues, such as bills or matters of public importance. When a bill is referred to a JPC, its primary role is to examine the proposed legislation in detail. The committee scrutinises the bill clause by clause, considers expert opinions, stakeholder feedback, and suggests amendments if necessary. It ensures thorough deliberation, addressing concerns and improving the bill’s effectiveness before it is presented back to Parliament for final debate and approval.