Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha: The mathematics of Rajya Sabha changed due to the sudden decision of BJD, know how the opposition got weakened

Discussion on the CF Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha. – Photo: Prime Look

What could be the path to passing the Waqf Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha? Which parties are supporting this bill and which parties have not clarified their stand? How much support do the NDA and the opposition have? Let’s find out…

The central government on Wednesday passed the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. The government got tremendous support from all the constituent parties of the NDA and 288 MPs voted in favor of the bill. At the same time, 232 votes were cast against it. With this, the way for the bill to go to the Rajya Sabha was cleared. Union Minority Minister Kiren Rijiju also introduced this bill in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. However, the real test of the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024 is being considered in this House.

In fact, the majority of the NDA in the Rajya Sabha is stable at the required number. In such a situation, the movement of any MP of any party of the alliance can become a hindrance in the way of passing the bill. Meanwhile, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has changed its stand against the Waqf Amendment Bill. Now party MP Sasmit Patra has said that no whip has been issued by the party for the Waqf Bill. MPs can vote on the Waqf Bill in the Rajya Sabha by listening to the voice of their conscience. It is worth noting that BJD had said that it would oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill before the discussion in Lok Sabha. However, now the change in the decision has weakened the position of the opposition in Rajya Sabha.

Actually, BJD has 7 MPs in Rajya Sabha. Earlier they were counted in the opposition. However, now the stand of these MPs is not decided. In such a situation, the strength of the opposition on the Waqf Bill is bound to weaken further.
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Let us know what could be the path to passing the Wakf Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha? Which parties are standing with this bill and which parties have not clarified their stand? How much support does NDA and the opposition have? Let us know…
Which party in Parliament is in favour and against the Wakf Amendment Bill?

Pros Opposition Stand not clear

BJP Congress SKM

TDP SP SAD

JDU TMC ZPM

Shiv Sena DMK BJD

LJP (Ram Vilas) Shiv Sena(UBT)

RLD NCP(SCP)

Janasena Party YSRCP

JDS CPI(M)

UPPL RJD

AGP JMM

Apna Dal IUML

AJSU AAP

HAM CPI(ML)

NCP NC

CPI

VCK

Azad Samaj Party(Kanshi Ram)

VPP

AIMIM

MDMK

BAP

RSP

RLOP

Kerala Congress

Independent

What is the math of support for Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha?

Waqf Amendment Bill was passed in Lok Sabha due to NDA’s majority. However, it is likely to be challenged in Rajya Sabha. There can be total 245 MPs in Rajya Sabha. However, at present there are 236 MPs in the House. At the same time, 9 seats are vacant. A total of 12 MPs can be nominated in the Rajya Sabha, but their number is currently 6. In this regard, the support of 119 MPs will be needed to pass the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

(i). NDA

NDA has absolute majority in terms of numbers in Rajya Sabha too. In fact, BJP is the largest party in Rajya Sabha and has a total of 98 MPs. Apart from this, like Lok Sabha, NDA has got support from JDU, TDP, NCP and other parties.

Other parties which are with NDA in Rajya Sabha include one MP from Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLMO), one MP each from Pattali Makkal Katchi, Tamil Manila Congress (TMC-M), National People’s Party (NPP), one MP from Ramdas Athawale’s Republican Party of India (RPI-A) and two independent MPs.

(ii). What are the figures of opposition in Rajya Sabha?

On the other hand, many parties are also opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha. However, this support may prove insufficient to stop the bill. Congress is the largest party in Rajya Sabha. It has the highest number of 27 MPs in Rajya Sabha from the opposition. After this, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and DMK are the next big parties.

Other parties which are with the opposition in the Waqf Amendment Bill include Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSRCP, AIADMK.

Whose stand is not clear in Rajya Sabha

Between the NDA and the opposition, there are some parties which have not yet clarified their stand on the bill. These include Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) – 7 seats, Telangana’s party Bharatiya Rashtra Samiti (BRS) – 4 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) – 1 seat and Mizo National Front (MNF) – 1 seat.

On the other hand, there are also six nominated MPs in Rajya Sabha, who will take part in the voting.

Why did TDP and JDU decide to go with the government?
Allies JDU-TDP had laid down several conditions for supporting the bill. JDU’s main demand was that the government would not tamper with the places related to the religious identity of Muslims before the implementation of the Act. Meaning, it would restore the status quo before the implementation of the Act.
TDP had demanded to give the final authority to a senior officer appointed by the state government above the collector to investigate the Waqf property dispute, to give time for digitization of Waqf properties, to give the state government the right to take the final decision to settle the dispute related to land. The government accepted this.

Many changes were made
Along with accepting the demand of the allies, BJP has also made several changes in the bill on its own to give a political message. For example, BJP Yuva Morcha chief Tejasvi Surya’s suggestion has been accepted that only those who follow Islam for five years will be able to donate their property to Waqf. If there is any dispute related to the property to be donated, the final decision will be taken only after its investigation. Amendment to Section 11 of the old law has been accepted, which states that the ex-officio member of the Waqf Board, whether he is a Muslim or a non-Muslim, will not be included in the count of non-Muslim members. This means that the number of non-Muslim members in the Waqf Board can increase.
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