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Punjab\u2019s political landscape has unified in opposition to the Union government\u2019s \u201cOne Nation, One Election\u201d (ONOE) initiative, with the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress \u2014 along with Shiromani Akali Dal \u2014 raising serious concerns over its implications for India\u2019s federal structure.
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Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting<\/strong>: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, accompanied by AAP state president Aman Arora, appeared before the JPC chaired by PP Choudhary and strongly denounced the proposal as \u201ca direct assault on the fundamental structure and spirit of the Constitution\u201d . Constitutional federalism at stake<\/strong>: Cheema argued that the amendments to the Constitution\u2014especially under the 129th Amendment Bill,\u202f2024\u2014could allow the Centre to arbitrarily control the tenure of state assemblies through the Election Commission, potentially misusing Articles\u202f356 and 360. Congress voices concern<\/strong>: A delegation including Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Opposition Leader Partap Singh Bajwa emphasised that simultaneous elections would erode democracy by enforcing uniformity over distinct state issues. They warned it could force mid\u2011term dissolution or extension of state assemblies, betraying voter mandate. Akali Dal support<\/strong>: Shiromani Akali Dal also joined the chorus, urging the JPC to abolish Article\u202f356 and reject provisions (Article\u202f82A clause 5) that let the ECI postpone elections, fearing such clauses could be used against opposition-led states Punjab\u2019s objection highlights widespread anxiety that ONOE may:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Undermine state autonomy<\/strong> by centralising electoral control. Encourage abuse of constitutional powers<\/strong> to delay state polls. Suppress regional representation<\/strong> and local issues central to state elections. The Joint Parliamentary Committee is collecting feedback from states and across the political spectrum. Punjab has formally submitted its objections in writing, emphasizing the need to preserve federal balance and institutional autonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More on Punjab\u2019s political reaction to ONOE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Punjab\u2019s political landscape has unified in opposition to the Union government\u2019s \u201cOne Nation, One Election\u201d (ONOE) initiative, with the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress \u2014 along with Shiromani Akali Dal \u2014 raising serious concerns over its implications for India\u2019s federal structure. Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, accompanied by AAP…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-punjab"],"yoast_head":"\n
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Why It Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Next Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n