What Is A Vote Of No Confidence? What Happens When It Is Passed? FAQs Answered

Amidst the ongoing deadlock in Parliament, the newly formed Opposition coalition 'INDIA' has announced its plan to introduce a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, 26 July.

The Congress has issued a whip to all its MPs in the Lok Sabha, directing them to be present in the house throughout its session as "very important issues" will be up for discussion.

So, what exactly is a no-confidence motion, and who can propose it?

What is a No-Confidence Motion?

In the Indian Parliament, a government must always have majority support in the Lok Sabha to retain its power. This means that the government must prove its strength on the floor of the House. If any member of the House believes that the government lacks this majority support, they can initiate a 'no-confidence' motion. If the motion is accepted, the onus shifts to the government to defeat the motion and demonstrate its majority.

Who Can Propose it?

According to Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, any member of the house can introduce a no-confidence motion.

The member must submit a written notice of the motion by 10 am to the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha on any sitting day. If the notice is received after 10 am, it is considered as received on the next sitting day.

The member is not required to provide a reason for moving the no-confidence motion.

What Happens When a No-Confidence Motion is Moved & Accepted?

Once a 'no-confidence' motion is presented, and the Speaker deems it appropriate, the motion is read aloud in the house. At least 50 members must accept the motion for it to proceed. If not, the motion fails, and the member who proposed it is notified accordingly.

Upon acceptance, the Speaker announces a day for the motion's discussion, which cannot be more than 10 days from its acceptance. The Speaker can allocate one or multiple days or a portion of a day for the discussion and set time limits for speeches during the proceedings.

The motion is then put to a vote at a specified hour or on the last allocated day for discussion. The vote can be conducted through "Voice Vote," "Division of Votes," or other methods.

What Happens When a No-Confidence Motion is Passed?

If the government loses a 'confidence' motion or if the 'no-confidence' motion garners majority acceptance, the current government must resign. There is no specific time limit between two no-confidence motions.

Historical Instances of No-Confidence Motion

The first-ever no-confidence motion was moved in August 1963 against then PM Jawaharlal Nehru by Acharya Kripalani. Indira Gandhi faced the motion 15 times. Other PMs who encountered the motion in the past were Lal Bahadur Shastri, Morarji Desai, Rajiv Gandhi, and PV Narasimha Rao.

In 2003, Sonia Gandhi initiated a no-confidence motion against the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government, which was defeated by 314 to 189 votes.

In 2018, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government successfully defeated the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha by 199 votes.