The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, will visit Uttar Pradesh to hold consultations with a wide range of stakeholders on the proposed ‘One Nation, One Election’ legislation, with the state government beginning preparations for the meeting.Chief secretary SP Goyal on Friday chaired a coordination meeting with officials from various departments, including the home department, to review arrangements for the JPC’s study visit beginning July 13. (For representation)Chief secretary SP Goyal on Friday chaired a coordination meeting with officials from various departments, including the home department, to review arrangements for the JPC’s study visit beginning July 13, officials familiar with the matter said.“The JPC will hold its meeting at a five-star hotel in the state capital with a range of stakeholders participating in the consultations,” an official said.Headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP PP Chaudhary, the committee is examining the constitutional and legal amendments required to facilitate simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.As part of its nationwide consultation exercise, the JPC has been undertaking study visits to gather views from stakeholders before finalising its recommendations on the proposed legislation.During its Lucknow visit, the committee will interact with representatives of political parties, legislators, the presiding officers of the Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad, leaders of the opposition in both Houses, senior state government officials, the chief electoral officer, legal experts and academicians, among others.The consultations are aimed at gathering views on the likely impact of simultaneous elections on governance, administration and the country’s democratic framework.The Uttar Pradesh visit is part of the JPC’s ongoing regional consultation exercise. Similar stakeholder consultations have already been held in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Goa.The 39-member committee comprises MPs from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including Priyanka Gandhi (Congress), Sambit Patra (BJP), Dharmendra Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Chandan Chauhan (Rashtriya Lok Dal), Kalyan Banerjee (Trinamool Congress) and Supriya Sule (NCP-SP).Panel’s 3-day itineraryThe Joint Parliamentary Committee will arrive in Lucknow late on July 12 after completing its study visit to Goa. On July 13, it will begin consultations with the UP chief secretary, director general of police, chief electoral officer and senior officials from the finance, home, education, tourism, agriculture, industries, health and labour departments. It will also interact with senior advocates and representatives of the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court Bar Association and the Oudh Bar Association, followed by representatives of public sector undertakings and central organisations, including National Fertilizers Limited, Central Bank of India, Food Corporation of India, NAFED, Northern Railway, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), Coal India and POWERGRID.On July 14, the committee will hold discussions with members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature, the state political executive and leaders of national and regional political parties. It will also meet representatives of trade and industry bodies, including the Indian Industries Association, Merchant Chambers of Uttar Pradesh, Laghu Udyog Bharati, EXIM Bank and the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID), before calling on the governor.On July 15, the JPC will consult representatives of leading academic institutions, including the University of Lucknow, IIM-Lucknow, IIT-Kanpur, Banaras Hindu University, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University and the University of Allahabad. The visit will conclude with interactions with eminent personalities and members of the local and regional media before the committee departs from Lucknow.