NDA eyes 2/3rd vote in a show of strength

FLOOR TEST Confident of sailing through, govt seeks to ‘make a statement’ to Oppn

NEW DELHI: Calls to allies and friendly (or non-aligned) parties. An effort to ensure the attendance of all its members, even those unwell or in hospital. On Thursday, ahead of Friday’s no confidence motion, the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government went all out. Not to defeat the motion — that’s a given -- but to defeat it with a two-thirds vote against it in a sort of “There, take that” gesture to the opposition, especially the Congress.

The intent is to demonstrate that the coalition enjoys support cutting across political boundaries, two senior leaders of the BJP said. The party has reached out to several non-aligned parties for their support, they added, asking not to be identified.

The current Lok Sabha has 533 members, excluding the speaker, and 355 is the two-thirds mark. This number will come down further if some parties do not vote at all, lowering the strength of the House when the voting takes place. The BJP has 273 members and the NDA 312. There is no doubt of it defeating the no-confidence motion sponsored by the Telugu Desam Party; it needs just 267 votes for that. The ruling dispensation will need the support of 43 more MPS – if each of the mem- bers is present and votes-- to touch the two-thirds target it has set for itself. “We are hopeful that two-thirds of members present will vote against the motion,” the first BJP leader said.

It will be the first vote on a no-confidence motion on the floor of Parliament since 2003, when the then-nda government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee sailed through a no-confidence motion brought by the Congress party.

“We will not disclose the numbers, but you will see Nda-plus in the Lok Sabha tomorrow,” parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said, without elaborating on the other parties whose support the NDA is counting on.

BJP president Amit Shah met BJP floor leaders in the Lok Sabha and asked them to ensure maximum attendance on Friday. He also spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and expects the ally to vote with the NDA.

A couple of senior BJP MPS were hosting their parliamentarian colleagues over dinner on Thursday night. “This is to ensure that every MP is in town by night,” the second BJP leader said. Valsad (Gujarat) MP KC Patel, who is ailing and is in a hospital in Delhi, will be brought to the Lok Sabha under medical supervision, a third BJP leader said on condition of anonymity.

Rampur MP Nepal Singh, too, is not well and the party is making arrangements to ensure his attendance.

Suspended MP Kirti Azad too has been told about the party whip to MPS to remain present in the House and vote against the motion.