The ‘One nation, one election’ proposal was on Wednesday cleared by the Union Cabinet. It is only a matter of time before it gets introduced in Parliament.
Early reports say that the TDP, JDU, and the JDS have already conveyed their support for the Bill. There are no surprises here, considering they are NDA allies.
Surprisingly, the Samajwadi Party and the NCP, too, have reportedly sent feelers that they are in favour of the Bill. Probably, they believe that their national role will increase in case of a simultaneous polling.
It has to be seen how the Congress is going to react to the development. If it feels that regional parties and the BJP will grow at its cost, Rahul Gandhi will vociferously oppose the ONOE Bill in Parliament. Since this is a Constitutional Amendment Bill, it is not going to be easy for the Narendra Modi government to have the last laugh.
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP and K Chandrasekhar Rao's BRS might take divergent stances. The YSRCP fought 2014, 2019 and 2024 elections alongside Lok Sabha elections. On the other hand, the BRS didn't have to experience simultaneous polls twice, reaping benefits the first time (read 2018).