Oppn argues lack of majority; govt may face tough task to turn numbers in its favour

New Delhi: The BJP-led government’s push to introduce the “One Nation, One Election” Bill in the Lok Sabha faced an unexpected challenge on Tuesday. While the Bill was formally introduced with a simple majority, securing 269 votes in favour and 198 against, the Opposition and political analysts quickly pointed out that the government’s numbers failed to meet the required two-thirds majority threshold, raising doubts over the Bill’s future.

Normally, a simple majority of those present and voting is enough to allow a Bill to be tabled. In this case, that number was 231, which the BJP cleared easily.

However, the rules for amending the Constitution stipulate that two-thirds of members present and voting must support the proposal. If today’s vote were meant to pass the Bill with 461 MPs participating, it required 307 votes to clear the threshold. However, the government could only secure 269, well below the 307 needed for approval.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore criticized the government’s reliance on a simple majority to introduce the Bill, highlighting that, “A two-thirds majority (i.e., 307) was needed out of the total 461 votes... but the government secured only 269, while the opposition got 198. The ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal failed to gain two-thirds support.”

Shashi Tharoor, another Congress leader, echoed similar concerns, noting the gap in support. “Undoubtedly, the government has larger numbers on its side, but to pass it (the Bills to amend the Constitution), you need a two-thirds majority that they very clearly don’t have,” he said, adding that the government should reconsider its approach. “It is obvious that they should not persist too long with this.”

With the current composition of the Lok Sabha, the BJP and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) hold 293 seats, while the Congress-led INDIA alliance commands 234. Even with full participation, the NDA’s combined strength would still fall short of the necessary votes to amend the Constitution.

A constitutional amendment requires support from 362 MPs in a full-strength Lok Sabha, with all 545 seats occupied. The NDA would need to secure at least 64 additional votes to reach this threshold, a daunting challenge given the Opposition’s stance. To pass the Bill, the BJP may need to rely on support from smaller parties like the YSR Congress and Akali Dal, both of which have pledged backing. However, that leaves Prime Minister Narendra Modi needing at least nine more votes — assuming the same number of MPs who voted today vote for the Bill to clear the Lok Sabha.