Stalin Calls on Democratic Forces to Rally Against ‘One Nation, One Election’ Initiative

Chennai, Dec 16 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, has called upon all democratic entities across the nation to come together in opposition to the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) Bill being advocated by the BJP-led Union government.

CM Stalin contended that the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is promoting this initiative to distract from its shortcomings in addressing significant national issues.

In a post on the social media platform X, CM Stalin stated, “All democratic forces must unite and resist this abomination masquerading as electoral reform, to protect India, its diversity, and the Constitution.”

He declared that the INDIA bloc (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) will oppose the “anti-federal and unrealistic” ‘One Nation, One Election’ initiative, as it could steer the nation towards a unitary governance structure, threatening its diversity and democratic principles.

CM Stalin further asserted that the Union government’s endeavor for ‘One Nation, One Election’ reveals a hidden agenda to establish a presidential governance model, which contradicts the essence of India’s Constitution.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu warned that if the proposed Bill is enacted, it would dismantle the legal safeguards embedded in the Constitution.

These regular elections, he highlighted, were instituted by the Constitution's framers to defend the nation against anarchy and totalitarianism.

“State elections would lose their political relevance, and regional sentiments and diversity would be obliterated,” CM Stalin cautioned.

He also noted that the BJP does not possess the necessary majority to enact such a pivotal piece of legislation but is making a “blatant attempt” to shift focus from its governance failures.

It is important to remember that earlier this year, CM Stalin introduced a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly opposing the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal.

At that time, he declared, “The Legislative Assembly urges the Union Government to refrain from implementing the ‘One Nation, One Election’ policy, as it violates democratic principles, is impractical, and is not included in the Constitution of India.”

During the discussion on the resolution, BJP MLA Vanathi Sreenivasan from Coimbatore defended the proposal, asserting, “India is the largest democratic nation, and a committee has been established to explore the idea of ‘One Nation, One Election.’ Every party can express its views in the committee. Elections occur every year in one state or another, and ‘One Nation, One Election’ could be a solution to this. Even former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi mentioned the necessity for ‘One Nation, One Election’ in his book ‘Nenjukku Neethi’.”

The Union Cabinet has recently sanctioned the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill, which is now poised for introduction in Parliament.

The government intends to submit the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.

Earlier this year, a high-level panel led by former President Ram Nath Kovind delivered its report on the viability of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal.