VIDEO: MPs Draw Attention As They Walk Out With 52-Kg Luggage Post JPC's First Meet On One Nation One Election

New Delhi: BJP MP Sambit Patra grabbed eyeballs as he walked out of the first Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting on Wednesday with a 52-kg heavy luggage.

The JPC for the first time was organised to discuss the One Nation One Election plan in the Parliament with an attendance of 37 out of 39 MPs on the panel.

The luggage, which was handed over to all the MPs as they stepped out of the meeting, contained crucial documents with as many as 18,000 pages in it!

The 52-kg suitcase reportedly had documents that the MPs could refer to for their study on the One Nation One Election.

Sharing a video of the same, ANI wrote, "BJP MP and the JPC member, Sambit Patra arrives at the meeting with documents of approximately 18 thousand pages, given by the Ministry of Law to the Joint Parliamentary Committee for the One Nation One Election."

The BJP last month took a major step to implement its key plank of 'One Nation, One Election' as the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the constitutional amendment bill to roll out the concept of simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls.

Two draft legislations, including one simple bill to amend provisions in laws dealing with three Union territories with legislative assemblies to align them with the Constitution amendment bill, were given the nod by the Cabinet.

The BJP's manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls had included its commitment to the idea.

Moving ahead with its 'One Nation, One Election' plan, the government in September had accepted the recommendations of the high-level committee for holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner.

In its report submitted to the government in March, just before the general election was announced, the panel recommended implementing "One Nation, One Election" in two phases.

While the ruling BJP and its allies are pushing for simultaneous polls, several opposition parties have opposed the idea.

The government is of the view that simultaneous polls will reduce expenditure in the long run and different parts of the country will not be under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) throughout the year due to various polls.

Simultaneous polls were held in the country between 1951 and 1967. 

The concept of simultaneous elections has been featured in many reports and studies since 1983, essentially implying a return to the previous practice of conducting polls concurrently. (with PTI inputs)