Raising his first concern, Tewari said the bill violates India’s federal character as defined in Article 1 of the Constitution.”The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, which proposes simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, directly challenges this federal framework by imposing uniformity across states. Such a move risks eroding state autonomy, diminishing local democratic engagement, and centralising power, thereby undermining the pluralism and diversity that are cornerstones of India’s democratic ethos.”Tewari also warned that implementing simultaneous elections would require amending Articles 83 and 172, which guarantee the fixed tenure of legislative bodies.He argued that such changes violate the basic structure doctrine of the Constitution, as established in the landmark Kesavananda Bharati judgment.
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