Getting numbers to pass Bills challenge for BJP
Though the BJP-led dispensation managed to introduce the Constitution amendment Bills for simultaneous elections in the Lok Sabha today, their passage will pose a challenge to the ruling party.
While motions for introduction of the Constitution amendment Bills can be adopted by simple majority, a majority of the total membership of the House and a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting is required for adoption of effective clauses and motions for consideration and passing of amendments.
Past such Bills & votes they got
- Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (128th Constitution Amendment) Bill, 2023: Passed with 454 votes in favour, 2 against
- The Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, 2021, which allows states to prepare own list of OBCs: Passed with 385 votes in favour, none against
- The Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill, 2019, which extended SC, ST reservations for another 10 years: Passed by 352 MPs in favour and none against
- Abrogation of Article 370 Bill: Lok Sabha passes it with 370 votes in favour, 70 against
The introduction of the Bills on simultaneous elections was easy on Tuesday because it required a simple majority — 263 MPs voted in favour of the introduction and 198 voted against it, with no abstentions.
The BJP has 240 MPs in the Lok Sabha and the NDA 293. Several of the ruling party MPs were absent at the time of introduction despite a three line whip being issued to be present.
Sources said the BJP could send notices to those absent without a valid reason. Some BJP MPs were busy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Jaipur visit as the BJP government there completed one year in office.
For its passage, the constitution amendment Bill on “one nation, one election” would need many more MPs to support it — the votes of at least 50 per cent members of the House (271 of the 543 MPs), plus two-thirds majority of MPs present and voting, which normally translates to nearly 360 to 370 MPs if the past Constitution amendment Bills are anything to go by. The ruling NDA currently has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha while INDIA bloc has 230.
So, the BJP, to get the “one nation, one election” Bill passed, would need to garner the support of MPs over and above 293, considering past Constitution amendment Bills have garnered anywhere between 350 and 400 votes.
When the ruling BJP had passed the Constitution amendment Bill to abrogate Article 370 in 2019, it had secured 370 votes in favour in the Lok Sabha and 70 against. In 2019, the BJP-led NDA had 343 MPs in the Lok Sabha as against 293 today.
Opposition sources said the government at present had introduced the Bill to set a narrative. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the Bill had been technically introduced, but from what one heard today, the vast majority of parties in the House had strongly opposed its approach.
Another Congress MP, Manickam Tagore, said the BJP needed a two-thirds majority to pass the Bill, which would be over 300 votes. “Today, they had just 263 votes,” he said. Among BJP allies, Shiv Sena and the Telgu Desam Party backed the Bill. Among neutral parties, the YSRCP backed it. The Shiromani Akali Dal opposed its introduction.
