How will NDA reach magic number for simultaneous polls in Parl?

It could be a tightrope walk for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government in the present scenario to ensure the passage of constitutional amendments required to bring the concept of 'one nation, one election' to reality.

IMAGE: Narendra Modi and the new Union council of ministers pose for a group photograph at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on June 9, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

The government may have to move 18 amendments to the Constitution to implement the concept of simultaneous elections as recommended by a high-level committee chaired by former president Ram Nath Kovind.

The NDA enjoys support of 293 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha and 119 MPs in the 245-member Rajya Sabha.

For a constitutional amendment to pass muster in Parliament, a proposal has to have the support of a simple majority in the Lok Sabha as also two-thirds of the members present and voting in the House.

If all the 543 members of the Lok Sabha are present on the day of voting on a constitutional amendment, the measure will require the support of 362 members.

The opposition INDIA bloc has 234 members in the Lok Sabha.

In the Rajya Sabha, the NDA has 113 MPs and the assumed support of six nominated members, while the INDIA bloc has 85 members. If all members of the Rajya Sabha are present on the voting day, two-thirds would be 164 members.

Some constitutional amendments also require to be ratified by state assemblies.

Of the six national political parties, two -- BJP and National People's Party -- are in support of simultaneous polls, while four – Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Communist Party of India-Marxist -- are opposed to the measure.

After the recent Lok Sabha polls, the parties that supported simultaneous polls before the Kovind panel account for 271 members in the Lok Sabha.

The total strength in Parliament of the 15 parties that opposed simultaneous polls before the Kovind panel is 205.

NDA floor managers have expressed confidence that they can ensure support of key legislative reforms in Parliament and cited that the J&K Reorganisation Bill and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill were passed by Parliament when the ruling alliance did not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha.

"We will seek to create a consensus over the next few months. Our government believes in creating a consensus on items which affect democracy and the nation in the long run. This is a subject, a topic that will strengthen our nation," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said to questions on steering the simultaneous poll proposals in Parliament.