Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is likely to face its first no-confidence motion in Parliament on Monday. The Telugu Desam Party and the YSR Congress will on Monday hope to get their no-trust motions against the government accepted in the Lok Sabha.
Key Opposition parties have enough numbers – at least 50 are needed – to allow voting on the motion. The ruling alliance, meanwhile, also has enough numbers to sail through if voting were to take place – thanks to the clear majority the Bharatiya Janata Party managed alone in the 2014 general elections.
However, sudden coalition troubles for the BJP are not limited to the Centre – hours before proceedings start in the Lok Sabha, an ally in Uttar Pradesh accused the party of “not following the coalition dharma” in the state. Ahead of Rajya Sabha elections, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party said the BJP had “gone crazy in their pride of having support of [nearly] 325 MLAs in the Assembly”.
Andhra Pradesh’s demand for the special category status has been at the centre of the political storm that has dominated the Lok Sabha in the second half of the Budget Session so far. The no-trust motions by the two state parties are among the very few highlights of the session, which has otherwise faced adjournments day after day.
The YSR Congress, a party with five Lok Sabha members, was the first to move the no-trust motion against the government on Thursday. The motion was to be taken up on Friday, but the House was adjourned repeatedly following uproar by members. The Telugu Desam Party, a key constituent of the National Democratic Alliance, quit the coalition and attempted to move its own no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
YV Subba Reddy, of the YSR Congress, has written to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, asking for the party’s notice for the motion to be put in the revised list of business for Monday.
Around 150 members – including those of the Congress, Trinamool Congress, the Left, Nationalist Congress Party, Aam Aadmi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal – are likely to vote against the government. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Biju Janata Dal are yet to declare their stand.
Although the ruling alliance finds itself weaker than ever before, the BJP has 274 members and has the support of some allies, enough to ensure there are no hiccups. The majority mark in the Lok Sabha is 270, as the House has 539 members currently.
On Saturday, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar ruled out any threat to the government, and said the government enjoyed confidence “inside and outside” Parliament, PTI reported.
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