New Delhi: Assam Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday pitched for the paper votes while pointing towards a significant technical failure during the voting process for the introduction of the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill in Parliament.
“Funnily enough while voting on the introduction of the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill, the electronic voting in Parliament failed. Many votes were not counted. It was the paper vote which reflected the accurate tally at the end,” the Congress MP wrote on X.
Earlier, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Constitution Amendment Bill for ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE Bill) in the Lok Sabha.
The bills secured 269 votes in favour and 198 against, after which the proceedings were briefly adjourned.
The tabling of the ONOE Bill set the stage for yet another showdown in Parliament as Opposition parties stood in protest, demanding its withdrawal over its ‘anti-constitutional and anti-democratic’ nature.
Congress leaders, in a scathing critique of the government, demanded that the Bill be withdrawn immediately.
Home Minister Amit Shah rebutted the charge and said that it has become a habit of the Congress party to oppose progressive legislation.
The TDP, a key BJP ally expressed unwavering support to the ONOE Bill and said that this will not only ease India’s fiscal burden but will also cut down the electoral expenses by more than 40 per cent.
Among the parties who vociferously opposed the ONOE Bill were the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, the Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM and more.
All of them called the Bill an assault on the Constitution and a brazen attempt to ‘kill democracy and bring authoritarianism and dictatorship.’
The AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, voicing opposition to the Bill, said that this legislation was being brought to finish off all regional parties.
(IANS)
