No Confidence Motion

Why in news?

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has admitted a no-confidence motion against the ruling government.

About No Confidence Motion:

• In a parliamentary democracy, a government can be in power only if it commands a majority in the directly elected House.
• Article 75(3) of the Constitution embodies this rule by specifying that the Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. For testing this collective responsibility, the rules of Lok Sabha provide a particular mechanism – a motion of no-confidence.
• The procedure is specified under Rule 198 of the Lok Sabha. The Constitution does not mention either a Confidence or a No Confidence Motion.

Who can move a No-Confidence Motion?

• Any Lok Sabha MP, who can garner the support of 50 colleagues, can, at any point of time, introduce a motion of no-confidence against the Council of Ministers.
• A no-confidence motion can be moved only in the Lok Sabha. It cannot be moved in the Rajya Sabha.

How is a No-Confidence Motion Debated and Voted?

• The motion is moved by the member who submitted it, and the government will then respond to the motion.
• The opposition parties will then have the opportunity to speak on the motion.
• After the debate, the Lok Sabha will vote on the no-confidence motion.
• The motion will be passed if it is supported by a majority of the members of the House.
• If a no-confidence motion is passed, the government must resign.

What happens if the Government wins the vote on the No-Confidence Motion?

• If the government wins the vote on the no-confidence motion, the motion is defeated and the government remains in power.
• There have been 27 no-confidence motions introduced in the Lok Sabha since independence.
  • The first no-confidence motion against the administration of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was presented in the Lok Sabha in 1963.
  • The last no-confidence motion was moved in 2018 against the then NDA government.

Motion v/s Resolution:

• A motion is a proposal or suggestion made during a meeting or assembly, while a resolution is a formal decision or action agreed upon by a group or organisation.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding No Confidence Motion:

1. A no-confidence motion can be moved in both the house of Parliament

2. If a no-confidence motion is passed, all the members of the ruling party will be disqualified as member of the house.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer