What is no-confidence motion? A detailed explanation.
A few days back, the opposition moved a no-confidence motion against Modi government in the Lok Sabha which didn’t pass. Since then, many people have doubt about the no-confidence motion-its history, procedure and relevance. In this article, we will comprehensibly cover everything that you need to no about no-confidence motion.
There is not any explicit mention of No-confidence motion in the Constitution. However, article 75 of the Indian Constitution spells out that the Prime Minister and Ministry of Council shall be collectively responsible to the house of people.
In a parliamentary democracy, a party can remain to the power as long as it holds the majority in the lower house of the parliament. No confidence motion is introduced usually an opposition party in the Lok Sabha.
This motion can only be moved any of the members of Lok Sabha, who can garner the support of minimum 50 MPs. And once it is offered, they can discuss over the government’s performance before voting.
It is done to check whether the ruling party holds the confidence or not. Once the motion is received the Lok Sabha Speaker, the speaker reads out the motion. And if more than 50 members of the house in favour of it, the speaker allocates a particular date and timing for the discussion.
What is the requirement of the no-confidence motion?
No- confidence motion is basically a tool at the hands of opposition to keep a check on the confidence of the government. It is the procedure through which the opposition checks whether the ruling dispensation still holds the majority in the house or not. Because there are times when some members of the ruling party or alliance withdraw their support from the government.
What happens when the no-confidence motion is passed?
The Prime Minister and Ministry of Council can hold the office if they have the confidence of the majority of the house. In case, the ruling party/alliance fails to prove the majority in the house, they have to resign from the office.
For the first time, a no-confidence motion was introduced against Pt. Nehru in the wake of 1922 India- China war J P Kripalani of Praja Socialist Party. Indira Gandhi has faced the no-confidence motion for the highest 15 times.
How relevant is no-confidence motion in ensuring the responsibility of government?
With the inception of Anti-defection law in 1985, which discourages the legislators to switch from one party to another, no-confidence motion has become little obsolete.
Further, it also takes a lot of valuable time in parliament and halts other important activities. However, it’s significance can’t be ignored at all. As even though it may not have been very useful in the past, it still helps in forming the public opinion. Thus encourages the judiciary to intervene in the larger interest of the country.
Currently, I am pursuing B.A(H) Political science from Satyawati College, Delhi University.
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