No-Confidence Motion: Who Will Win the Perception Game ?

For the opposition this will be a chance to put the Modi government in the dock over security issues, GST, and more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a file photo.

(Photo: Reuters)

There is little chance that the no-confidence motion moved by the Telugu Desam Party and supported by the Congress will lead to the fall of the Narendra Modi-led government. But the battle won’t be that of just numbers.

268 votes are required for the no-confidence motion to be passed.

“The opposition wants to put the Modi government on the mat”, according to senior political analyst Neerja Chowdhury, who said that the opportunity will arise when Members of Parliament debate the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha this Friday, 20 July.

For the opposition it will be a chance to put the Modi government in the dock over issues like unemployment, security concerns in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the clumsy roll out of the Goods and Services Tax. For the government it will be an opportunity to showcase its achievements. The key highlight will be Prime Minister Modi’s speech, expected to be the final one, where he is expected to set the tone for the next general elections.

What To Watch Out For

• Prime Minister Modi’s response to the no-confidence motion
• Modi’s pitch for re-election of his government in 2019
• Will miffed BJP allies like the Shiv Sena support the government?
• If ‘fence-sitters’ like the BJD, YSR Congress, AIADMK, TSR stage a walkout they would help bring down the number of votes needed for a majority.

Watch the full interview here:

(This story was first published on BloombergQuint and has been republished with permission.)