Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha: The real test of the government in Rajya Sabha, is knowing how every vote will be important for NDA and the opposition

The central government passed the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The government got tremendous support from all the constituent parties of the NDA and 288 MPs voted in favor of the bill. At the same time, 232 votes were cast against it. With this, the way for the bill to go to the Rajya Sabha was cleared. Union Minority Minister Kiren Rijiju also introduced this bill in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. However, the real test of the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024 is being considered in this House. The majority of the NDA in the Rajya Sabha is stable at the required number. In such a situation, the movement of any MP of any party of the alliance can become a hindrance in the way of passing the bill.

What is the math of support for the Waqf Bill in the Rajya Sabha?

The Waqf Amendment Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha due to the majority of the NDA. However, it is likely to be challenged in the Rajya Sabha. The total number of MPs in the Rajya Sabha can be 245. However, at present, there are 236 MPs in the House. At the same time, 9 seats are vacant. A total of 12 MPs can be nominated in Rajya Sabha, but their number is currently 6. In this regard, the support of 119 MPs will be needed to pass the Waqf Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha.

NDA

In terms of numbers, NDA has absolute majority in Rajya Sabha too. In fact, BJP is the largest party in Rajya Sabha and it has a total of 98 MPs. Apart from this, like Lok Sabha, NDA has got support from JDU, TDP, NCP and other parties.

Other parties which are with NDA in Rajya Sabha include one MP from Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLMO), one MP each from Pattali Makkal Katchi, Tamil Manila Congress (TMC-M), National People's Party (NPP), one MP from Ramdas Athawale's Republican Party of India (RPI-A) and two independent MPs.

What are the numbers of opposition in Rajya Sabha?

On the other hand, many parties are also opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha. However, this support may prove insufficient to stop the bill. Congress is the largest party in the Rajya Sabha. It has the highest number of 27 MPs from the opposition in the Rajya Sabha. After this, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and DMK are the next big parties.

Other parties which are with the opposition in the Waqf Amendment Bill include Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which has 7 MPs. Apart from this, Jaganmohan Reddy's YSRCP, AIADMK are also with the opposition.

Whose stand is not clear in Rajya Sabha

Between the support in NDA and opposition, there are some parties which have not yet clarified their stand on the bill. These include Telangana party Bharatiya Rashtra Samiti (BRS) - 4 seats, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) - 1 seat and Mizo National Front (MNF) - 1 seat.

Why did TDP and JDU decide to go with the government?

Allies JDU-TDP had laid down several conditions for supporting the bill. JDU's main demand was that the government would not tamper with the places related to the religious identity of Muslims before the implementation of the Act. Meaning, it will restore the status quo before the implementation of the Act.

TDP had demanded to give the final authority to a senior officer appointed by the state government above the collector to investigate the Waqf property dispute, to give time for digitization of Waqf properties, to give the state government the right to take the final decision to settle the dispute related to land. The government accepted this.

Many changes were made.

Along with accepting the demand of the allies, the BJP has also made many changes in the bill on its own to give a political message. For example, the BJP has accepted the suggestion of Yuva Morcha chief Tejasvi Surya that only those who follow Islam for five years will be able to donate their property to Waqf. If there is any dispute related to the property to be donated, the final decision will be taken only after its investigation. Amendment to Section 11 of the old law has been accepted, which states that the ex-officio member of the Wakf Board, whether he is a Muslim or a non-Muslim, will not be included in the count of non-Muslim members. This means that the number of non-Muslim members in the Wakf Board can increase.