One Nation, One Election: Cong MP Priyanka questions govt’s poll expenditure figures

The Joint Parliamentary Committee to scrutinise the two bills on simultaneous elections held its first meeting on Wednesday (January 8). Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the poll expenditure and how much money will be saved, News18 reported.

She claimed that the expenditure figures quoted by the government are before EVMs were introduced in 2004.

Officials of the Ministry of Law and Justice briefed the panel members on the provisions of the proposed laws.

BJP MP PP Chaudhary heads the 39-member joint committee.  Members include Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Congress, Sanjay Jha from JD(U), Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde, AAP’s Sanjay Singh, and Kalyan Banerjee from Trinamool Congress.

Former Union ministers Anurag Thakur, Parshottam Rupala and Manish Tewari and several other lawmakers, including Anil Baluni, Bansuri Swaraj and Sambit Patra, are also members of the committee.

A Congress member said the idea is against the basic fabric of the Constitution, while a Trinamool Congress MP said it negates people’s democratic rights, media reports said.

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill were introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session and referred to the JPC.

The government decided to increase the committee’s strength from 31 to 39, as more political parties expressed their desire to be part of the exercise to examine the two draft legislations on simultaneous polls.

The panel has 27 members from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha.