"People of the entire country should think": BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal on 'One Nation One Election'

New Delhi: The first meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the One Nation One Election proposal is being held today in New Delhi.
The proposal, which aims to hold elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies at the same time, has sparked reactions from various political parties and leaders, with many viewing it as an essential reform.
Among the committee members, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sanjay Jaiswal strongly supports the initiative. Speaking ahead of the meeting, Jaiswal said, "The cabinet of this country has passed this (One Nation One Election Bill). People of the entire country should think how long are we going to endure an election every month?... This destabilizes the functioning of the entire country."
The BJP MP continued, "This is a really good decision taken under the leadership of former President Ram Nath Kovind. I think the countrymen should welcome this with an open heart."
Remembering the historical precedent of holding simultaneous elections, Jaiswal said, "The country ran just like this for 18 years after the Constitution was drafted. However, due to the personal ambitions of Indira Gandhi, this was amended. It needs to be rectified once again..." Jaiswal's remarks allude to the political upheavals in the 1970s, during Indira Gandhi's tenure as Prime Minister, which led to changes in the electoral framework.
The One Nation One Election concept, according to Jaiswal, would bring stability to the nation's political system. He said that holding separate elections every few months destabilizes the government's functioning and hampers progress.
"This has become a routine, and the regular disruption of governance has a negative impact on the development of the country," he asserted.
When asked about the timeline for implementing the proposal, said, "I don't think the Bill will be placed on the last day of the next Parliament Session. I don't think there will be any discussions on doing this in such haste. This will be done patiently with deliberation by every party."
He further told ANI that the current timeline being discussed for the implementation of One Nation One Election is 2034. "So, this is a big timeline. A lot of things have to be done before that. I think all parties should go ahead on this with a unanimous decision after due deliberation," he added.
JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha also voiced his support for the One Nation One Election idea but highlighted his party's stance on the matter.
"Our leader Nitish Kumar has always spoken in support of One Nation One Election, especially holding Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections simultaneously. Panchayat elections should be held separately, he has always said all this. That is the position of our party," Jha said.
Jha said that One Nation One Election is not a new concept, recalling that the country had previously held simultaneous elections before.
"One Nation One Election was held in the country earlier too. But this situation (separate elections) occurred when Congress started imposing the President's Rule...The public mood is also the same - hold simultaneous elections and you work for 5 years...We are largely in its support," Jha stated, underscoring the political consensus that is emerging in favor of the proposal.
The first meeting of the JPC on One Nation One Election will begin today at 11:00 AM in Delhi. BJP MP PP Chaudhary will chair the meeting.
The officials from the Law and Justice Ministry are scheduled to brief the parliamentary panel, tasked to scrutinise the bills proposing simultaneous elections, during the meeting.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee is supposed to examine the 'One Nation, One Election' Bill, which consists of members from Lok Sabha including Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Manish Tewari, NCP's Supriya Sule, TMC's Kalyan Banerjee and BJP's PP Chaudhary, Bansuri Swaraj and Anurag Singh Thakur.