New Delhi, Apr 16: The ruling NDA does not have the required numbers in Parliament to get the women’s reservation bills passed with a two-thirds majority, unless it can shore up support from other parties or make some of them abstain.
While the NDA has the support of 293 members in the Lok Sabha, which is 54 per cent of the house, the opposition has 233 MPs.
While 7 MPs are independents, four belong to YSRCP, and one each to AIMIM and Shiromani Akali Dal. AIMIM has already opposed the bill.
The rules require 360 MPs to support the bills, including the Constitution amendment bill, which comes to two-thirds of those present and voting.
In case 30 MPs abstain from the house, the total number will fall to 510 and the two-thirds mark will be 340 and if 60 MPs abstain, the total would fall to 480 and the two-thirds figure will come down to 320. Likewise, a total of 90 MPs would have to abstain for the two-thirds figure to come down to 300.
For the bills to get approval from the Lok Sabha, at least two main opposition parties from amongst the Samajwadi Party (37 MPs), Trinamool Congress (28 MPs) or DMK (22 MPs) would have to abstain. The Congress has 98 MPs in the Lok Sabha.
On the other hand, the BJP has 240 MPs, TDP 16 and JDU 12 in the Lok Sabha from the NDA.
In case the bills do not get Lok Sabha nod, they will not be taken up in the Rajya Sabha.
In the upper house, the NDA has 141 members in their favour, which is 58 per cent of the upper house, and the opposition has 83 MPs in support.
Parties such as the BRS, YSRCP, BJD, and BSP and independents have 20 MPs in the upper house and their votes may help swing the decision.
For the Constitution amendment bill to get through in the upper house, the ruling alliance needs the support of 163 MPs to be present and voting, which is two-thirds majority of the house.
While the BJP has 107 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress has 28, TMC 13, AAP 10 and DMK 8.
BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday appealed to all MPs from Odisha to jointly fight for the protection of the state’s political and economic interests, which he said are under “threat” due to the Delimitation Bill.
Though Patnaik supported the Women’s Reservation Bill, he called upon the state MPs to oppose the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill on its original form, saying it raises serious concerns that go beyond its stated objective.
Sources said several BJP MPs have admitted privately that they do not have the numbers to get the key bills passed.
Amending the Constitution requires a special majority in both houses of Parliament: a majority of the total membership (more than 50 per cent) and a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. So if all 540 members, that are there in the house currently, are present and voting, the two-thirds majority mark would be 360.
While seeking the support of all parties in getting the bills passed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a fervent appeal in the Lok Sabha, saying that he will get all the credit in case the opposition oppose the bills but is ready to give a “blank cheque” to all in case everyone supports the legislation.
