Waqf Bill: Who Supports, Who Opposes, and Does BJP Have the Numbers in Parliament?

Waqf Bill: A government-Opposition showdown is set to go live on the floor of the Parliament on Wednesday as the Lok Sabha takes up the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, for discussion and passage.

Speaking to reporters, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Lok Sabha's Business Advisory Committee (BAC), which includes leaders from all major parties, chaired by Speaker Om Birla, has agreed on an eight-hour debate, which could be extended after taking the sense of the House.

Parties in support of Waqf bill

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The NDA, led by the BJP, holds a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha, where 272 votes are required to pass legislation. Out of 293 MPs supporting the NDA, the BJP has 240 members, followed by 16 from the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP), 12 from Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), seven from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, five from Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and two each from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) led by Jayant Chaudhary, the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) of HD Kumaraswamy, and the Jana Sena Party (JSP) of Pawan Kalyan. The government is also backed by one member each of Apna Dal (Soneylal), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL). The total strength of the Lok Sabha presently stands at 542.

The BJP is confident of full backing from its allies, as the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has addressed their concerns. Similarly, Nitish Kumar's JDU, too, has signalled its support for the bill, with senior leader KC Tyagi stating the party has shared its concerns with the Centre and is hopeful they will be addressed.

Parties opposing Waqf Bill

Opposition parties have strongly opposed the bill, condemning it as unconstitutional and detrimental to the interests of the Muslim community. Several prominent Muslim organisations have been actively mobilising support against the bill.

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Leading the INDIA bloc's campaign against the bill, Congress has 99 seats in the Lok Sabha, followed by the Samajwadi Party (SP) – 37, Trinamool Congress (TMC) – 28, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – 22, Shiv Sena (UBT) – 9, Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) – 8, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM) – 4, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) – 4, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – 3, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) – 3, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) – 3, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) – 2, Communist Party of India (CPI) – 2, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation – 2, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) – 2. The Opposition alliance is also supported by one member each of Kerala Congress (KEC), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP), and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP). The bloc is backed by three independents, including Pappu Yadav, Mohmad Haneefa and Vishal Patil.

Does BJP have numbers in Parliament?

Lok Sabha: For the bill to pass in the Lok Sabha, the BJP needs a simple majority of 272 votes. Of the 542 MPs, 240 are BJP lawmakers,12 are from the JD(U), 16 are from the TDP, five are from the LJP (RV), two are from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), and seven are from the Shiv Sena. If the NDA holds together, the bill will pass.

Rajya Sabha: In the Rajya Sabha, the NDA has 125 MPs – 98 from the BJP, four from the JD(U), two from the TDP, three from the Nationalist Congress Party, one from the Sena, and one from the RLD.

In the 245-member house, the bill needs the support of 119 MPs. The NDA is confident that it will get the backing of single-member parties such as the Asom Gana Parishad and Tamil Mannila Congress, as well as six nominated members.

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