Priyanka Gandhi, BJP heavyweights on 21-member panel to scrutinise 'One Nation, One Election' bills

New Delhi: Former Union Ministers Anurag Thakur and PP Chaudhary from the BJP, along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Congress, are set to be part of the 21-member Joint Parliamentary Committee that will scrutinise two bills on simultaneous elections. The Lok Sabha's list of business for Thursday included the names of 21 MPs who will serve on the committee, with a motion to form the committee to be moved by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Meghwal is also expected to propose that the committee submit its report during the first day of the last week of the next session. Former Union minister Parshottambhai Rupala, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Anil Baluni, CM Ramesh, Bansuri Swaraj, Vishnu Dayal Ram, and Sambit Patra are among the BJP's Lok Sabha members on the panel.

Chaudhary, a former minister of state for law, is likely to be the committee's chairperson, though sources suggest Thakur is also a potential contender. The final decision will be made by Speaker Om Birla, as per the rules, sources added.

Manish Tewari and Sukhdeo Bhagat of Congress, Shrikant Shinde of Shiv Sena, Dharmendra Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Kalyan Banerjee of the TMC, TM Selvaganapathi of the DMK, GM Harish Balayogi of the TDP, Supriya Sule of the NCP (Sharad Pawar), Chandan Chauhan of the RLD, and Balashowry Vallabhaneni of the Jana Sena Party are also among the Lok Sabha members included.

The Rajya Sabha will announce its 10 members for the committee separately, PTI reported. Of the proposed Lok Sabha members, 14 are from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, with 10 from the BJP.

Opposition parties have already submitted the names of their representatives from the Rajya Sabha, sources said. Randeep Surjewala of Congress, P Wilson from the DMK, Saket Gokhale from the TMC, Sanjay Jha from JD(U), and Manas Ranjan Mangaraj from BJD are expected to be among the Rajya Sabha members on the committee.

The two 'One Nation, One Election' (ONOE) bills, one of which requires a Constitutional amendment, outline the framework for holding simultaneous elections. These bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after a heated debate.

Opposition parties have condemned the draft laws – the Constitutional amendment bill and the ordinary bill – as an assault on the federal structure, a claim rejected by the government.

Speaking to reporters on the Parliament premises, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi termed the bills "anti-constitutional," adding, "It goes against the federalism of our nation. We oppose the bill."

The BJP and its allies, including the TDP, JD(U), and Shiv Sena, have strongly defended the bills, arguing that frequent elections hinder development programmes, and simultaneous elections will help by reducing election-related costs.