What 200+ seats will mean for the INDIA bloc

If the NDA fails to come close to a two-third majority in the new Lok Sabha, it may also derail the BJP’s one nation, one election plan

The early counting trends on Tuesday pegged the Congress-led INDIA alliance at 220 seats, nearly double the current tally of 119. Any tally above 200 will not just be a moral boost for the rainbow alliance but will bring a host of benefits for the bloc, including a significantly larger presence as a pressure group in Parliament to counter the government.

A Congress supporter at the party headquarters in Delhi. (AFP)

It will also bring the leader of Opposition status for the Congress’s Lok Sabha floor leader and more chairpersonships of parliamentary panels that are key bodies to oversee government’s work.

“It looks like not only a political defeat but a moral defeat for the Prime Minister,” said Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

The NDA’s failure to get “400 paar” in the Lower House may also present a major roadblock for the government to push amendments to the Constitution — which require a two-thirds majority in both Houses and support from a majority of states.

If the NDA fails to come close to a two-third majority in the new Lok Sabha, it may also derail the BJP’s one nation, one election plan.

Upamanyu Hazarika, another constitutional expert and an advocate added, “It will be very difficult for the government to push big-ticket amendments to the Constitution.”

The position of a Leader of Opposition, which the Congress didn’t have for the past decade, allows additional privileges for the Congress. The Opposition, which heads just two parliament committees, would get more chairman’s post—allowing more supervisory power over the government.