BJP president Amit Shah talks with prime minister Narendra Modi at BJP National Council meeting at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. File photo/AFPBJP is on the verge of losing the record of having a majority of its own in the Lok Sabha after its two MPs BS Yeddyurappa and B Sriramulu resigned ahead of taking oath as MLAs in the Karnataka legislative assembly on Saturday. BJP's seat count has fallen to 270 from the 2014 figure of 285 seats. Meanwhile, Congress has raised its strength in the lower house of the Parliament from 44 to 48.
However, BJP, the leading constituent of the NDA, has no difficulty in staying in power even after losing a few seats in bypolls held cross the country since it came to power in May 2014. Slight difference in its Lok Sabha tally could be expected when elections are held to five vacant seats in the Lok Sabha.
When the Lok Sabha election results were announced in May 2014, BJP by itself had secured 285 seats. A single party secured majority in the Lok sabha after 30 years. BJP-led NDA secured 339 seats. Congress had 44. In the 543-member House, the figure for simple majority is 272. BJP secured 13 seats more than the magic figure.
BJP had a mixed outcome in the subsequent bypolls for Lok Sabha and its seat count fell. The number required for simple majority, meanwhile, came down as the Lok Sabha currently has seven vacancies, including the two of Yeddyurappa and Sriramulu.
In early 2018 BJP had 274 seats. This was after the recent bypolls, including those in Uttar Pradesh. The numbers further drop to 272 if BJP rebels Shatrughan Sinha and Keerthi Azad are excluded. The tally stands at 270 after the resignation of Yeddyurappa and Sriramulu.
After the resignation of Yeddyurappa and Sriramulu, the votes for simple majority stands at 268 in a House with a depleted strength of 536.
Byelections to four vacant seats would be held on May 28; these seats are Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia in Maharashtra, Khairana in Uttar Pradesh and the lone seat in Nagaland. Bypoll to the vacant seat in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir has not been announced, while the 16th Lok Sabha is set to enter its final year.
Prime minister Narendra Modi's party will lose its own majority if it loses two more seats. The BJP tally and simple majority mark may change slightly once the bypoll results are announced. But the saffron party has no fear of losing power as the next Lok Sabha election is round the corner and allies lend it crucial support, though the 18-member Shiv Sena is a frenemy.
