The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed to implement ‘One Nation, One Election’ is going to start its pan-India tour from Maharashtra on May 17. Committee Chairman P.P. Chowdhury said that this initiative has been taken to ensure a transparent and inclusive process by taking the views of the common people from every region of the country. A website will be launched very soon where common citizens can also submit their views.
P.P. Chowdhury further said, “The members of the committee unanimously feel that there is a need for transparency. That is why it has been decided to launch a website so that any citizen of the country can easily express their views. The website will have the facility of QR code, through which opinions can be submitted directly. Preparations are underway to launch the website after carefully examining the technical aspects, so that the system is effective and sustainable.”
The committee has informed that after Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana will be visited in phases. Maharashtra will be visited on May 17-18, followed by Uttarakhand on May 19-21, and other states will be visited in June.According to the chairman, "We feel that it is important to know the opinions of not only political leaders, but also people from different walks of life—celebrities, sportsmen, common citizens. These opinions are being collected to understand how beneficial this project will be for the country."
Several important personalities were present in today's meeting. In the first session, a discussion was held with former Supreme Court Justice Hemant Gupta. Then there was former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court S.N. Jha. In the third session, former Supreme Court Justice and Chairman of the 21st Law Commission B.S. Chauhan. The last session was attended by Rajya Sabha member and eminent lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Chowdhury also mentioned, “There may be differences within the committee, but at some point all the members will agree on the national interest. Because the objective of all leaders is the welfare of the nation.”
However, in a long meeting held on March 25, some MPs expressed doubts about the implementation of the ‘one nation, one election’ concept. According to them, holding elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies simultaneously can be quite complicated from a practical perspective.
Through this process, the committee is trying to build a national consensus on the implementation of ‘one nation, one election’. Discussions and exchange of views on this initiative across the country are expected to add a new dimension to the political landscape in the coming days.
