First no-confidence motion against Modi government: what the numbers say

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday, the opening day of the monsoon session, admitted an opposition motion of no confidence against the Narendra Modi government, the first it has faced. The vote was set for Friday. The government was expected to win comfortably, but the debate promised a sharp clash over farm distress, lynching and polarisation.

A change of approach

The government had resisted the demand during the budget session, so its decision to allow the debate surprised an opposition that had expected a standoff. BJP managers were confident of their numbers and believed that another session lost to disruption would let the opposition claim the party feared defections. Mahajan accepted the notice from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) because it was submitted first, though the Congress and others had also given notice.

The numbers

• The House had a current strength of 535, making 268 the halfway mark.
• BJP managers counted 315 MPs on the NDA side, including the Speaker; the BJP alone had 273, including two nominated members.
• The opposition’s stated strength was 222, including 63 from the Congress-led UPA, 37 from the AIADMK, 34 from the TMC, 20 from the BJD, 16 from the TDP and 11 from the TRS.

The final NDA figure could shift slightly, as some BJP MPs were dissenting and a few were ill or abroad. The BJP did not expect the Shiv Sena to break ranks despite its public complaints.

What each side planned

An opposition leader said they would raise price rise, intolerance, the implementation of GST, the effects of demonetisation, farm distress and the adequacy of the new MSP regime. Congress functionaries said they would also target unmet promises on corruption, the economy and jobs, and describe the MSP hikes and a health insurance scheme as late and inadequate. A speech by Congress president Rahul Gandhi was keenly awaited.

Ananth Kumar, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said the government was prepared, adding, “The entire country has confidence in PM Narendra Modi.” The BJP planned to portray the opposition as an opportunistic grouping united only by the aim of removing Modi, and to contrast its own record on development, digitisation, insolvency law, Aadhaar-linked benefits and farm incomes with the UPA years.

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, Telugu Desam Party

Originally published on 19 July 2018. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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