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The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal. This proposal aims for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections to be held simultaneously, with urban body and panchayat polls to be held within 100 days. The ‘one Nation, one election’ Bill is now expected to be introduced in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. The proposal must be cleared in both Houses—the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha—before becoming law.

The key development came after a high-profile panel led by former president Ram Nath Kovind submitted its report on the issue before the Cabinet on Wednesday. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Independence Day speech last month, advocated for ‘one nation, one election,’ arguing that frequent elections create obstacles in the country’s progress.

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What is ‘one nation, one election’?

The idea of ‘one nation, one election’ stands for holding simultaneous elections across the country. This means the polls for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be held on a single schedule. The urban body and panchayat polls are also proposed to be held within 100 days of the national elections.

The first proposal of ‘one nation, one election’ dates back to the 1980s. In its 170th Report in May 1999, the Justice BP Jeevan Reddy-headed Law Commission stated that “we must go back to the situation where the elections to Lok Sabha and all the Legislative Assemblies are held at once”.

The elections for the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies were held together in the early years of independence: 1951-52, 1957, 1962, and 1967. However, this pattern was disrupted by the premature dissolution of state assemblies.

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Congress among 15 parties to oppose ‘one nation, one election’

Meanwhile, 15 parties, including the Congress, have opposed the ‘one nation, one election’ proposal, with the Congress saying it is “not pragmatic and practical”. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge called it “an attempt to divert the attention of the public”. “This is not going to succeed… the people will not accept it,” he said while releasing the party’s manifesto for next month’s Haryana assembly elections.

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