Joint Constitution Committee concludes Goa consultations on ‘One Nation, One Election’ with legislators and other stakeholders

Goa Khabar:The Joint Committee on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, examining the proposal for simultaneous elections in the country, wrapped up the Goa leg of its study visit on Saturday after two days of extensive consultations with legislators, public sector undertakings, civil society representatives and the media.

The second day’s proceedings began with an interaction with the Hon’ble Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, the Hon’ble Leader of Opposition and Members of the Legislative Assembly from across party lines. The discussions covered the provisions of the proposed Bills along with several constitutional and electoral issues, including mid-term elections, the remainder of the tenure of legislatures in the event of premature dissolution, the powers proposed to be vested in the Election Commission of India, and constitutional principles such as federalism and the Basic Structure Doctrine.

The Committee subsequently held detailed discussions with senior representatives of major public sector undertakings, including ONGC, Konkan Railway Corporation Limited, Goa Shipyard Limited, Container Corporation of India Limited, Manganese Ore (India) Limited and Bank of Maharashtra. Represented by their top leadership, the organisations shared their perspectives on the proposal for simultaneous elections and presented data in support of their submissions.

Members of the Committee sought further clarifications from the PSUs and encouraged them to undertake additional studies to facilitate a more comprehensive assessment of the likely impact of simultaneous elections.

In its final engagement in Goa, the Committee interacted with representatives of civil society and members of the print and electronic media. Participants shared their views on the proposal for One Nation, One Election, leading to a meaningful exchange of ideas on various aspects of the issue.

The Committee will now proceed to Lucknow for the study visit as part of its nationwide consultations on the proposed constitutional and legislative framework for simultaneous elections.