New Delhi: The ruling BJP faces almost no opposition in either House of Parliament Tuesday, after the Lok Sabha followed its ejection of 33 members (and 13 last week) with 49 more this morning. A total of 141 MPs, including those from the Rajya Sabha, have been thrown out so far. There are still three days left in this Winter Session, which will be Parliament’s final full sitting before next year’s general election.
The aggressive stance towards the opposition may be fueled by that knowledge – that Parliament will dissolve in three months and there is no major legislative business between then and now.
At full strength the Lok Sabha seats 543 MPs. However, 21 seats are vacant, leaving the current strength at 522. Of these, 323 are held either by BJP MPs or those from an allied party.
There are 142 opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha, of whom 67 per cent have been suspended.
There are now only 47 opposition lawmakers still sitting in the Lower House.
In the Rajya Sabha, there are fewer than 100 opposition MPs left to question the ruling party.
Many of the opposition lawmakers who remain are from outfits like Andhra Pradesh’s ruling YSR Congress Party and the Biju Janata Dal that is in power in Odisha, which have supported the BJP on various issues, including passing of controversial bills when the ruling party did not have the numbers.
