Srinagar, Apr 22: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the concept of “One Nation, One Election,” which aims to synchronize Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, plans to visit J&K in the month of June.
As part of a series of study tours, the panel headed by Lok Sabha MP P. P. Chaudhary intends to visit the Union Territory in June to get feedback on the legislations brought by the Union Government for holding Lok Sabha and state polls together.
The proposed legislations also seeks to make amendments in section 17 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 to align J&K’s state poll cycle with Lok Sabha elections.
The bill specifies that simultaneous elections will take effect from an “appointed date” to be notified by the President following the first sitting of the Lok Sabha after a general election. Since the first sitting of the Lok Sabha elected in 2024 has already taken place, the earliest possible appointed date for simultaneous elections would coincide with the first sitting of the House elected in 2029. Consequently, simultaneous polls could begin by 2034, marking the end of that Lok Sabha’s term.
Notably, the bill will not affect the existing five-year term of the J&K Assembly, which began on 8 October 2024. However, it would reduce the five-year tenure of the next UT Assembly by six months in 2034.
According to the bill, if the J&K Assembly is dissolved before completing its five-year term, any mid-term election held would only cover the remaining period of five years.
In December last year, the Union Government introduced the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024 in the Lok Sabha. These bills were subsequently referred to the JPC for review. (KNO)
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