Will Lok Sabha Pass Waqf Bill? BJP's Majority Math Explained, Big Challenge for Opposition

New Delhi. The controversial Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 set the stage for uproar in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, with the BJP-led central government introducing it in the House for discussion and passage, while the opposition continued to protest amid uproar. The opposition included Indian block parties, which on Tuesday walked out of the House, terming the proposed law unconstitutional. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there were early signs of a heated debate between the ruling and the opposition on the bill during the BAC meeting as members of the Congress and several other All India Blocks walked out of the House accusing the government of suppressing their voices.

However, the political tension and the length of the debate are unlikely to affect the outcome as the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has a strong majority in the Lok Sabha.

What is the numerical strength in the Lok Sabha?

The NDA has 293 seats out of the 542 members of the Lok Sabha. The BJP has often been successful in garnering support from independent members and smaller parties. To become a law, the Waqf Amendment Bill will have to be passed first in the Lok Sabha and then in the Rajya Sabha, after which it will be signed by the President.  

Parties in support of Wakf Bill

The BJP-led NDA has an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha, where 272 votes are required to pass a bill. Of the 293 MPs supporting the NDA, the BJP has 240 members, followed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 16, Janata Dal (United) with 12, Shiv Sena with seven, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) with five and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), Jana Sena Party (JSP) and seven others with two each. 

What is the stand of JDU-TDP?

JDU and TDP have already made their stand clear. In such a situation, BJP will not face any problem in getting the bill passed in the Lok Sabha. Let us tell you that JDU and TDP had raised some concerns, which have been resolved. Meanwhile, JDU has issued a whip for all its Lok Sabha MPs. Senior leader KC Tyagi said that the party has shared its concerns with the Center and hopes that they will be resolved.

Parties opposing the Wakf Bill

Opposition parties have strongly opposed the bill and called it unconstitutional and detrimental to the interests of the Muslim community. Several prominent Muslim organisations are actively mobilising support against the bill. Spearheading the Bharat Block campaign against the bill, the Congress has 99 seats in the Lok Sabha, followed by Samajwadi Party 37, TMC 28, DMK 22, Shiv Sena (UBT) 9, NCP-SP 8, CPIM 4, RJD 4, AAP 3, JMM 3, IUML 3 and JK National Conference 2 and 13 others.

Thus, the total number of seats comes to 235 as against the 293 strong members of the NDA.  AIMIM's only MP Asaduddin Owaisi is also strongly opposing the bill, though he is not a part of the Bharat Bloc. YSRCP and Shiromani Akali Dal are yet to make their stand clear. 

Waqf Amendment Bill Background

The Union Cabinet recently approved the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which incorporates changes suggested by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).  The parliamentary panel adopted the report by a majority despite objections from all 11 opposition MPs of the committee, who also submitted dissent notes. The detailed 655-page report was tabled in both Houses of Parliament earlier this month. The Lok Sabha Business Advisory Committee (BAC), headed by Speaker Om Birla, which comprises leaders of all major parties, has agreed to an eight-hour debate, which may be extended after knowing the opinion of the House.