P Chidambaram dubs one nation, one poll 'monstrous'; Vidhi Centre flags constitutional risks

New Delhi: Former Union minister P Chidambaram on Monday dubbed the proposed 'one nation, one election' (ONOE) plan 'monstrous' and 'unconstitutional' while think tank Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy urged extensive changes to the proposed framework.

Rajya Sabha MP and Congress leader Chidambaram was invited by the joint parliamentary committee examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and other enabling bills for ONOE. Swapnil Tripathi from Vidhi Centre also briefed the panel.

Chidambaram argued curtailing the tenure of elected legislatures would violate the Constitution's basic structure as legislatures are elected for a five-year term, sources aware of the deliberations said. He asserted that the government did not have the two-thirds majority required to pass the Constitution amendment, the sources added.


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According to the presentation by Vidhi Centre, which has worked with the Centre on about 50 projects including Jan Vishwas and Aadhaar Act, the proposed ONOE framework needs significant safeguards and redrafting to withstand constitutional scrutiny. The proposed Article 82A(3), which empowers Election Commission of India to modify constitutional provisions to implement ONOE, 'could violate the basic structure of Constitution by effectively delegating the amending powers of Parliament'. It also flagged conflict of interest by allowing ECI to modify provisions governing elections.

Vidhi further proposed clearly defining the grounds on which state elections may be deferred, restricting the scope of President's Rule by requiring polls to be held within six months.

JPC chairman and BJP MP PP Chaudhary said Chidambaram offered "good inputs", but represented a particular political viewpoint. He said ONOE doesn't violate the Constitution's basic structure and said the committee would examine all submissions before making its recommendations.

New Delhi: Former Union minister P Chidambaram on Monday dubbed the proposed 'one nation, one election' (ONOE) plan 'monstrous' and 'unconstitutional' while think tank Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy urged extensive changes to the proposed framework.

Rajya Sabha MP and Congress leader Chidambaram was invited by the joint parliamentary committee examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and other enabling bills for ONOE. Swapnil Tripathi from Vidhi Centre also briefed the panel.

Chidambaram argued curtailing the tenure of elected legislatures would violate the Constitution's basic structure as legislatures are elected for a five-year term, sources aware of the deliberations said. He asserted that the government did not have the two-thirds majority required to pass the Constitution amendment, the sources added.

According to the presentation by Vidhi Centre, which has worked with the Centre on about 50 projects including Jan Vishwas and Aadhaar Act, the proposed ONOE framework needs significant safeguards and redrafting to withstand constitutional scrutiny. The proposed Article 82A(3), which empowers Election Commission of India to modify constitutional provisions to implement ONOE, 'could violate the basic structure of Constitution by effectively delegating the amending powers of Parliament'. It also flagged conflict of interest by allowing ECI to modify provisions governing elections.

Vidhi further proposed clearly defining the grounds on which state elections may be deferred, restricting the scope of President's Rule by requiring polls to be held within six months.

JPC chairman and BJP MP PP Chaudhary said Chidambaram offered "good inputs", but represented a particular political viewpoint. He said ONOE doesn't violate the Constitution's basic structure and said the committee would examine all submissions before making its recommendations.