Explained: What Is A No-Confidence Motion? Who Can Propose it?

The Opposition coalition 'INDIA' will bring a no-confidence motion against the Modi government in Lok Sabha today.

According to the rules of the Indian Parliament, a government must always have majority support in the Lok Sabha in order to remain in power.

(Photo: The Quint)

Amid the continuing logjam in the Parliament, the newly minted Opposition coalition 'INDIA' has announced to bring 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 to be present in the house from the commencement till its adjournment as “very important issues" will be taken up for discussion.

What does a vote of confidence mean? Who can propose it? The Quint explains.

What is a No-Confidence Motion?

According to the rules of the Indian Parliament, a government must always have majority support in the Lok Sabha in order to remain in power. This means that the government must demonstrate its strength on the floor of the House. If a member of the House feels that the government does not enjoy this majority, then they can move a ‘no-confidence’ motion. If the motion is accepted, then the onus is on the government to defeat the motion in order to prove its majority.

If it is passed by the House, then the council of ministers has to resign. Conversely, the prime minister can also move a ‘confidence’ motion in order to prove the strength of the government in the Lok Sabha.

Who Can Propose it?

As per Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, any member of the house can move a no-confidence motion.

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

The member does not need give a reason for moving a no-confidence motion.

What Happens When A No-Confidence Motion Is Moved & Accepted?

Once a ‘no-confidence’ motion is moved, and the Speaker is of the opinion that the motion is proper, then s/he reads out the motion to the house. A minimum of 50 members have to accept the motion. If not, then the motion fails and the member who moved the motion is informed about it.

Once the motion is accepted, the Speaker will announce a day when the motion is to be discussed. The day cannot be more than 10 days from the day the motion is accepted. The Speaker can allot one day, multiple days, or a part of a day to discuss the motion. S/he can also prescribe a time limit for speeches during the discussion.

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

What Happens When A No-Confidence Motion Is Passed?

If the government loses a ‘confidence’ motion or if the ‘no-confidence’ motion is accepted by the majority, then the government of the day has to resign. There is no time-limit that must be adhered to between two no-confidence motions.

History of the No-Confidence Motion

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

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

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