NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram on Tuesday said simultaneous elections were not possible in 2029, even if the One Nation One Election Bill was passed by Parliament.
In a post on X, Chidambaram said he had deposed before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on One Nation One Election (ONOE) and his basic submission was that the Bill violated the basic structure of the Constitution.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to present my views to the JPC on O.N.O.E. I am not at liberty to disclose my evidence to the JPC but the basic thrust of my deposition was that the Bill violated the basic features of the Constitution, especially the tenets of parliamentary democracy in a federal country,” he wrote.
Taking a swipe at the JPC Chairman’s reported statement that simultaneous polls were possible in 2029, Chidambaram said,”I have read the reported statement of the Chairman, JPC, that simultaneous elections are possible in 2029 I am afraid his view is wrong and goes against the text of the Bill. Even if the Bill is passed (which is very unlikely), the ‘appointed date’ under the Bill can only be a date ‘after a general election'”.
He added, “The next general election will take place in 2029. Hence, simultaneous elections are not possible in 2029, which is a blessing. The Congress and other Opposition parties will mount a nationwide campaign against the Bill, which is a Constitutional monstrosity in parliamentary democracy in a federal country.”
