- Electoral reforms will be debated for 10 hours in the Lok Sabha during Winter Session
- Discussion starts at 1:00 pm covering Election Commission, campaign spending, and voting machines
- Speakers include Law Minister Meghwal, BJP, Shiv Sena, Lok Janshakti, Telugu Desam, and Congress MPs
Electoral reforms is at the centre of an extended and politically charged debate in the Lok Sabha today as the House sets aside 10 hours for a detailed discussion during the Winter Session of Parliament.
The time has been evenly divided between the ruling side and the Opposition, underlining the importance attached to the issue.
The discussion will cover a wide range of concerns, including the role of the Election Commission, transparency in campaign spending, curbing the entry of candidates with criminal backgrounds, the reliability of electronic voting machines and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The government has maintained that the exercise is aimed at strengthening electoral integrity and making the democratic process more transparent and accountable. The Opposition, however, is expected to strongly flag issues related to the fairness of elections and raise objections to proposals such as "One Nation, One Election."
The debate will be initiated by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. On behalf of the BJP, MPs Nishikant Dubey, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Sanjay Jaiswal and PP Chaudhary are among those listed to speak. PP Chaudhary is also the chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the "One Nation, One Election" proposal.
Alliance partner Shiv Sena will be represented by Srikant Shinde and Naresh Mhaske.
Arun Bharati will speak on behalf of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), while the Telugu Desam Party's speakers include Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu and GM Harish Balayogi.
From the Opposition benches, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will lead the discussion for the Congress. Over the past several months, Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly accused the Election Commission and the BJP of manipulating the electoral process, a charge that the government has rejected.
Other Congress speakers expected to participate include KC Venugopal, Manish Tewari, Varsha Gaikwad, Mohammed Jawed, Ujjwal Raman Singh, Isa Khan, Ravi Mallu, Imran Masood, Gowal Padvi and Jyotimani. The Congress has issued a whip to its MPs, asking them to be present in the House.
The government's response to the debate is scheduled for December 10, with Arjun Ram Meghwal set to reply on behalf of the Centre.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
