Kerala Legislative Assembly Passes Resolution Opposing One Nation, One Election Reform

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution on Thursday, urging the central government to withdraw its proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ reform. The resolution has described it as undemocratic and detrimental to the nation’s federal structure.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan introduced the resolution before opening the floor for discussion. Following contributions from the opposition leader and other party leaders, the proposal was formally submitted as a demand from the state.

On September 18, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had criticized the Union Cabinet’s approval of the reform on social media. He had accused it of undermining the federal system and granting absolute power to the Centre.

“This Sangh Parivar move to push for Presidential rule and subvert constitutional values must be resisted. Democratic forces must unite to defend our democracy,” he wrote on X.

Leader of the Opposition, V D Satheesan, had also voiced strong opposition to the proposal. He had dubbed it as ‘impractical’ for Indian democracy and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sangh Parivar of attempting to centralize power.

Notably, the PM Modi government approved the report from a high-level panel led by former President Ram Nath Kovind on the concept of ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE).

A bill to implement simultaneous elections is expected to be introduced in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. This initiative aims to synchronise Parliamentary and Assembly elections, which has been a part of the Modi government’s 100-day agenda.