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HomeIndiaGovernanceNarendra Modi won't be too troubled by no-confidence motion, suggests Parliament history

Narendra Modi won’t be too troubled by no-confidence motion, suggests Parliament history

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A total of 26 no-confidence motions and 11 confidence motions moved so far, but only three govts have fallen. Over 456 hours have been spent on these motions.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government will Friday face what will be the 38th motion of no-confidence/confidence to be moved in Parliament since Independence. And if history is anything to go by, Modi doesn’t have much to worry about.

Till date, all governments have survived the no-confidence motion save for one. In 1979, then PM Morarji Desai resigned before the Congress’ motion could be put to vote.

However, three governments have fallen after losing confidence motions, while one was not put to vote after then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee resigned before the motion could be moved.

A motion of confidence is moved by the prime minister to prove his/her government’s majority on the floor of the House, whereas a motion of no-confidence is moved by the opposition. In either case, if the government is unable to prove its majority, it is expected to resign. The motion can be moved only in Lok Sabha.

What the data says

According to data made available by PRS Legislative Research, 26 no-confidence motions and 11 confidence motions have been moved in Parliament so far, the maximum being in the 3rd and the 4th Lok Sabhas with six motions of no-confidence moved in each.

In 1992, during the 10th Lok Sabha, two no-confidence motions were moved against the then P.V. Narasimha Rao-led Congress government, and 35 hours, 44 minutes were spent debating them, the maximum till date.

Overall, 456 hours and 947 minutes have been spent so far in discussing no-confidence/confidence motions so far.

Brief history

The first no-confidence motion was moved by socialist leader J.B. Kripalani against then PM Jawaharlal Nehru in the August 1963 in the 3rd Lok Sabha, and Parliament spent 21 hours and 33 minutes debating it. Nehru’s government survived the motion.

In 1990, the V.P. Singh-led government lost the confidence motion, as did the H.D. Deve Gowda government in 1997.

In 1996, Vajpayee resigned before the confidence motion in the 11th Lok Sabha was put to vote, while his government lost the 1999 confidence motion by just one vote. The one vote became contentious since Orissa chief minister Giridhar Gamang, who had not resigned as Lok Sabha MP despite having been CM for around two months, voted against the government.

The last confidence motion was moved in the 14th Lok Sabha in 2008, which the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government won amid much drama, following days of strained deadlock with alliance partners over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

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