No-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla today: Does the Opposition have numbers?

If the resolution is taken up, Om Birla will not preside over the proceedings.

• Lok Sabha to debate resolution seeking Speaker Om Birla's removal
• Opposition can't oust Speaker without majority, even with Trinamool
• Debate expected to be heated as Opposition challenges government

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The second half of Parliament’s Budget session on Monday is set for a turbulent start as the Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up a resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla.

The notice will be moved by three Congress members, Mohamed Jawed, K Suresh and Mallu Ravi. If the resolution is taken up, Birla will not preside over the proceedings. He will sit among members.

During the first phase of the budget session, the Opposition filed a notice against the Speaker which was signed by 118 members.

Weeks after Trinamool Congress MPs refused to sign the Opposition’s notice, the party on Saturday said it would back the motion, bolstering the INDIA bloc’s fight against the NDA government led by the BJP.

What does the Constitution say?

Under Article 94(c) of the Constitution of India, a Speaker can be removed through a prescribed parliamentary process. Before a motion seeking the Speaker’s removal is taken up, a written notice of at least 14 days must be given to the House.

"A member holding office as Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of the People may be removed from his office by a resolution of the House of the People passed by a majority of all the then members of the House,” stated the Constitution.

If the resolution is taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha, the Speaker has the right to defend himself during the proceedings.

Even after the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker does not vacate office and continues in the post until immediately before the first meeting of the newly constituted House of the People.

Does the Opposition have numbers?

A simple majority of 272 votes are needed to remove the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. However, the Opposition does not have the numbers needed even with the support of Trinamool.

In the current Lok Sabha, the ruling side commands the backing of 293 MPs — including 240 from the BJP, 16 from the Janata Dal (United), and 12 from the Telugu Desam Party — along with other allies in the National Democratic Alliance. This gives the government a comfortable majority.

The Opposition, in contrast, has 238 MPs, including 99 from the Congress, with the remaining members coming from parties such as the Samajwadi Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the All India Trinamool Congress, among others.

If the motion to remove Speaker Om Birla is put to vote, the Opposition is likely to fall short. However, the debate in the House is expected to be heated, with the Opposition set to strongly challenge the government.

Why did the Opposition move no-confidence motion?

The Opposition submitted a notice seeking the removal of Om Birla as Speaker, accusing him of acting in a partisan manner during proceedings in the Lok Sabha.

Opposition leaders have alleged that the Speaker curtailed their opportunities to raise issues in the House and favoured the ruling side during heated debates in the Budget Session.

The BJP and the Congress have issued a three-line whip to their Lok Sabha MPs, directing them to be present in the House till Tuesday.