Numbers Politics

The BJP led NDA government has made no secret of its long term political ambition. Its goal is to secure a two thirds majority in Parliament, a number that would allow it to amend the Constitution without depending on the support of the opposition. Such a majority would give the government the power to push through major structural changes that could reshape India’s political and administrative system in line with its vision of a stronger and more centralised Bharat Varsh. During the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP campaigned confidently with the slogan of “400 plus.” The message was clear. It wanted an overwhelming mandate that would remove every political hurdle. However, the election results told a different story. The BJP won only 240 seats, falling far short of the 272 needed for a simple majority. The NDA formed the government only because regional allies such as the Telugu Desam Party with 16 MPs and the Janata Dal (United) with 12 MPs extended their support. Since then, the government has steadily worked to increase its strength in Parliament. The NDA’s numbers, which stood at around 293 after the election, have reportedly grown to nearly 318 through a series of political realignments, defections and mergers. The most striking development came when 20 Trinamool Congress MPs broke away and merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, a party that has no elected MLA or MP . Around the same time, six MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena joined the Eknath Shinde faction. These developments point to a carefully planned effort to strengthen the ruling alliance without waiting for the next general election.The latest controversy centres on women’s reservation in Parliament. There is broad agreement across political parties that women deserve greater representation. The dispute is not over the reservation itself but over the government’s decision to link the 33 percent quota with a fresh delimitation exercise and an increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats. Southern states fear that a population based redistribution of seats will reduce their representation because they successfully controlled population growth over the past several decades. The government faced a major setback on April 17, 2026, when the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to secure the special majority required for passage. Although 298 MPs voted in favour and 230 opposed it, the numbers were not enough for a constitutional amendment. There is nothing wrong with a political party trying to strengthen its position. Every ruling party seeks to expand its support. The concern arises when constitutional change depends more on engineering defections and political mergers than on convincing the nation through open debate and public consensus. At the same time, the opposition must also accept its share of responsibility. The Congress, despite being the largest opposition party, has struggled to present a clear national vision or provide effective leadership. It has been focussed on “grooming” a politically-reluctant Rahul amidst far-reaching changes taking place. Constitutional amendments that fundamentally reshape the Republic should emerge from broad national agreement, not from the pursuit of a magic parliamentary number. In a healthy democracy, the Constitution belongs to the people, not to any government with the numbers to change it. India’s democratic strength has always rested on consensus, debate and accountability. Any move to tinker the constitution to make it less people-representative will only come at a consequence.