Banerjee Slams 'One Nation, One Election' Bill as Undemocratic and Dictatorial

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday vehemently opposed the proposed 'one nation, one election' bill, calling it "unconstitutional", "anti-federal" and "dictatorial". The TMC leader claimed that the Union Cabinet's push for the legislation was a "blatant disregard for expert opinions and opposition voices".

Banerjee took to X to express her strong displeasure with the ONOE bill, labeling it an "authoritarian imposition designed to undermine India's democracy and federal structure". Promising to fight tooth-and-nail against the draconian legislation in Parliament, Banerjee vowed that Trinamool MPs would "save India's democracy from the clutches of autocracy".

Earlier this month, the Bengal government had expressed its dissent on ONOE before a Ram Nath Kovind committee, and Banerjee had criticized the proposal for being riddled with "conceptual difficulties". She had also written to the committee stating that simultaneous elections cannot be held within India's existing framework.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh echoed Banerjee's concerns, arguing that each elected body has its own purpose and cannot be clubbed together. He pointed out that the federal structure of the country, its diversity, and the number of states make a simultaneous nationwide election impossible to implement. "A voter elects a particular government for five years but things often change midway as we have seen before in many places such as Maharashtra," Ghosh said. "How will One Nation One Election function in such a scenario? We cannot agree to such an unscientific process. Besides, the Lok Sabha, Legislative Assembly and local bodies are different and so are their goals."

The Trinamool Congress party spokesperson cautioned that this push for the 'one nation, one election' bill could lead to "logistical and democratic nightmares". They accused the Union Cabinet of disregarding legitimate concerns raised by experts and opposition leaders.