No-trust vote: Modi government wins 325-126 as TRS and BJD walk out, AIADMK backs NDA

The Narendra Modi government comfortably defeated the opposition’s no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, securing 325 votes against 126, with 451 votes cast, at the end of a 12-hour debate marked by moments of high drama, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s surprise hug of the Prime Minister.

How the House voted

The opposition’s tally was held down as the TRS and BJD walked out. The Shiv Sena stayed away from the debate and did not vote with the government despite having issued a whip on Thursday, an unwelcome surprise for the NDA, but the AIADMK’s support more than made up for it. NDA MPs who had been unwell or dissenting turned up to follow the party whip.

The hug and the reply

Rahul Gandhi accused the government of “jumla strikes”, or a string of false promises, and said demonetisation and GST had hurt the economy, especially small and informal businesses, while jobs had not been created. He ended his speech by crossing to the Prime Minister’s seat and, when Modi did not rise, bending down to hug him. Modi called him back to shake hands and pat him on the back. Rahul was later seen winking at his colleagues.

In reply, Modi mimicked the gesture and suggested it reflected haste to occupy his chair: “Those who want to reach here in a hurry came here and gestured ‘get up, get up’,” he said. He argued that the Congress lacked confidence in itself and in institutions ranging from the Chief Justice of India and the Reserve Bank to the Election Commission and electronic voting machines. Responding to Rahul’s charge over the Rafale deal, Modi described himself as the son of a poor mother from a family of modest means. He also said he hoped his opponents would move a fresh no-confidence motion in 2024, implying the BJP would return to office in the next year’s general election.

Setting the campaign tone

The debate took on the feel of an election campaign, with the BJP arguing that the motion had no purpose beyond removing Modi and comparing the NDA’s record with that of the Congress-led UPA. Modi’s reply sketched themes likely to feature in the coming assembly polls and the next Lok Sabha contest: political stability, help for the poor, the fight against corruption and development.

What happened next

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP won 303 of 543 seats and the Congress 52, and Narendra Modi was sworn in for a second term on 30 May 2019.

See also: Lok Sabha members, Bharatiya Janata Party

Originally published on 21 July 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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