No-confidence motion
A no-confidence motion is a parliamentary procedure whereby a governing body or its leader is put to the test of its ability to command the confidence of the assembly in which it sits. It is a way for legislators to express their lack of confidence in the government’s policies or the Prime Minister/President and call for their removal.
In India, a no-confidence motion can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha and after at least 50 members of Parliament support it, the Speaker may grant a leave and after considering the state of business in the House, allot a day or days or part of a day for the discussion of the motion If the motion carries, the House debates and votes on the motion. If a majority of the members vote in favour of the motion, it is passed, and the government is bound to vacate the office.
No-confidence motion in India is as follows:
1. A motion of no confidence must be in writing and must be signed by the member moving it.
2. The motion must be submitted to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha on any day on which the House is sitting.
3. The Speaker will then decide whether or not to admit the motion.
4. If the motion is admitted, the Speaker will fix a date for the debate on the motion.
5. The debate on the motion will take place on the allotted date.
6. After the debate, the House will vote on the motion.
7. If a majority of the members vote in favour of the motion, the government will be defeated and will have to resign.
A no-confidence motion can be a powerful tool for the opposition to use to try to bring down a government. However, it is important to note that the opposition needs to have the support of at least 50 members of the Lok Sabha in order to even introduce a motion of no confidence. If the opposition does not have the support of 50 members, then the motion will not be admitted by the Speaker and the government will not be put to the test.
In recent years, there have been a number of no-confidence motions introduced in the Lok Sabha. However, none of these motions have been successful. The most recent no-confidence motion was introduced in 2023 by the opposition Congress party. However, the motion was defeated by a vote of 325 to 136.
It is possible that a no-confidence motion could be successful in the future. However, it is important to note that the opposition needs to have a strong case in order to convince the majority of the Lok Sabha to vote against the government.
Read also-
click for more current affairs
click for offical website