Nine trust votes moved since 1979

New Delhi, Jul 20: Nine attempts have been made by the government of the day to secure a vote of confidence since 1979. Of these nine attempts, six have been unsuccessful and three successful, which speaks volumes about the import of coalition politics in the Indian context in the last three decades.

In 1979, Chaudhary Charan Singh was the first Prime Minister of the country to be asked to prove his majority after the Congress withdrew its support to his government. He, however, opted to resign rather than face Parliament. V P Singh was the second Prime Minister to seek a motion of confidence for his National Front-Left Front Government. He moved another motion of confidence in 1990 after the BJP withdrew support. At that time, the Congress joined hands with the BJP to bring down his government.

In May 1996, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee moved a motion of confidence, but resigned before putting it to vote. In June of the same year, Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda as the head of the United Front Government won the motion of confidence.

A year later, however, he lost the vote of confidence. In May 1997, Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral of the United front Government won a motion of confidence. In 1998, Vajpayee moved and won a motion of confidence, but lost it by a single vote in May 1999.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the country's sixth Head of Government to move a motion of confidence on July 22, 2008.

ANI