In a bold and unequivocal stance, the Punjab Government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have voiced sharp opposition to the Centre’s contentious ‘One Nation One Election’ proposal, branding it an alarming threat to the foundational spirit of the Indian Constitution. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, speaking at a press conference held at Punjab Bhawan after attending a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee chaired by PP Choudhary, strongly criticized the proposal as a calculated attempt by the BJP-led Union Government to undermine India’s federal structure.
Harpal Singh Cheema, accompanied by AAP’s Punjab unit president Aman Arora, categorically rejected the idea, warning that it is not a reformative step but a veiled strategy to centralize political power by weakening the autonomy of states. He described the proposal as fundamentally incompatible with the constitutional vision meticulously crafted by Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Cheema argued that the ‘One Nation One Election’ plan amounts to a systemic erosion of the democratic balance, where the Union Government seeks control over the electoral calendar of individual states, ultimately placing the fate of state assemblies at the Centre’s discretion.
Citing specific provisions from the draft legislation, Cheema highlighted the controversial clause in Part 2, Section 5 of the proposed amendment, which enables the Election Commission to recommend delaying state assembly elections if simultaneous polls are not feasible. This recommendation, when approved by the President, would effectively allow the Centre to defer state elections, potentially by a year or more after general elections. According to Cheema, this framework opens the door for arbitrary interventions and paves the way for misusing emergency provisions such as Articles 356 and 360, which deal with President’s Rule and financial emergencies respectively.
The Finance Minister warned that the centralization of electoral authority would marginalize regional parties, which are essential in representing India’s diverse linguistic, cultural, and regional identities. Far from uniting the country through electoral uniformity, he said, the bill threatens to stifle the very diversity that defines Indian democracy. Cheema framed the proposal as a political maneuver by the BJP to diminish opposition voices and dismantle state-level political relevance in favor of centralized dominance.
Calling upon other regional parties and state governments to take a united stand, the Punjab Finance Minister emphasized that this moment requires collective resistance to safeguard federal values and the institutional integrity of India’s democratic system. He asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party and the Punjab Government would formally oppose the bill in writing and would not allow what he described as an authoritarian agenda to reshape the electoral and constitutional architecture of the nation.
Cheema concluded with a firm reassurance that the people of Punjab, along with progressive forces across India, would continue to defend the vision of inclusive, decentralized governance. The Constitution, he said, must not be reduced to a tool of convenience for the ruling party at the Centre, but rather upheld in its original spirit — as a document of balance, equity, and cooperative federalism.
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