It’s a big day in the Parliament on Friday, with the Modi-led government facing the No-Confidence motion in the Lower House, moved by a former ally Telegu Desam Party (TDP).
The BJP-led government is confident of proving majority while the opposition is trying to muster the numbers to win the motion. More than the proving numbers, this motion will be a battle of perceptions ahead of key elections – assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
ALSO READ: All you need to know about Friday’s ‘no-confidence motion’
#ModiTrustVote | Congress President Rahul Gandhi hugs Prime Minister Narendra Modi after speech pic.twitter.com/SkImJPm6mf
— Republic (@republic) July 20, 2018
The debate, preceding the actual voting, will give the government an opportunity for chest-thumping by showcasing its achievements over the past four year, while the opposition will get a platform to highlight issues like special status to Andhra Pradesh, cow vigilantism, lynchings, atrocities against women and Dalits and alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act. The AgustaWestland chopper scam has been added to the list, after new revelations by the accused’s lawyer, news reports suggest.
To defeat the no-confidence motion, the BJP would require to 268 votes, which is the halfway mark in the 535 seat Lok Sabha.
LIVE Updates
List of Speakers
NDA speakers – Prime Minister Narendra Modi (will reply at the end of the debate), Rajnath Singh, Virendra Singh, Rakesh Singh, Meenakshi Lekhi, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Harsimrat Badal, Ram Vilas Paswan
Congress Speakers: Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia.
CPI(M) speaker for Lok Sabha No Confidence motion will be Mohammad Salim
Vinod Kumar to speak from TRS, Tariq Anwar for NCP
ALSO READ: BJP-led NDA confident of numbers to defeat No-Trust Vote
What to expect?
- TDP will move the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha at 11 am
- Rahul Gandhi will open the debate for the Congress and unconfirmed reports say that PM Modi may be the first to speak for the government
- Debate on the motion till 6. Time will be alloted to speakers, in proportion to the seat share in the house
ALSO READ: No-Trust Vote: Why Congress gets 38 min to debate but BJP…
- PM will reply to the opposition around 6 pm
- Vote around 8 PM
- BJP has 273 members, excluding the speaker
- NDA has 312 minus the Speaker (includes Shiv Sena – 18, Lok Jan Shakti Party-6 and Shiromani Akali Dal – 4)
Opposition line up confirmed
- Congress 48 MPs
- TDP 15
- TMC 34
- NCP 7
- CPI-M 9
- AAP 4
- RJD 4
- Confirmed add up to 122 members.
- Smaller parties that form the UPA, Indian Union Muslim League – 2, JD(S) – 1, Kerala Congress (M) – 1, RLD – 1, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha – 2 and Revolutionary Socialist Party – 1.
- Total 129
Fence sitters
- BJD – 19
- TRS – 11
- SP -7
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