It is not clear yet if those not present had informed the party about their absence due to prior engagement or any other reason.

FILE: India’s minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari addresses the gathering during the 8th National Convention of Sahakar Bharati in Amritsar

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will reportedly send notices to its members in Lok Sabha who weren’t present for the introduction of the bills related to the ‘One Nation One Election’ plan on Tuesday. The big names include Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Giriraj SinghThe notices will be sent to the MPs for defying the three line whip issued earlier by the party to its Lok Sabha members, directing them to not miss the introduction of the bills in the Lower House of the parliament.

It is not clear yet if those not present had informed the party about their absence due to prior engagement or any other reason, news agency ANI reported quoting sources within the party.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024′ and ‘The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024’, which propose simultaneous elections for both Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was introduced in the Lower House on Tuesday. The bills were introduced in Lok Sabha by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Opposition members opposed the introduction of the bill and pressed for division. In the division, 269 members voted in favour of the introduction of the bill and 196 voted against it.

The bills will now be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further deliberations. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that when One Nation, One Election Bill was taken up in the cabinet for approval, PM Narendra Modi had said that it should be sent to the JPC for detailed discussion

BJP members absent during introduction of ‘One Nation One Election’ bills?

Union Ministers Giriraj Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Jyotiraditya Scindia and CR Patil were among nearly 20 BJP MPs absent during the division for the introduction of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, ANI reported quoting sources.

Shantanu Thakur, Jagdambika Pal, BY Raghavendra, Vijay Baghel, Udayraje Bhonsale, Jagannath Sarkar, Jayant Kumar Roy, V Somanna, Chintamani Maharaj were also among those not present in the House.

While it did not pose a threat to the party as far as the introduction of the bill was concerned, the division of votes without BJP’s full strength present did give the opposition something to talk about.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that while the government had large numbers on its side, it did not have the numbers required to pass the bills. He asked the government to not be persistent with it.

While a simple majority of the members present was enough to introduce the bills, a two-third majority is required to pass the constitutional amendments introduced under the ‘One Nation One Election’ plan.