2008 vote of confidence in the Manmohan Singh ministry

none February 2017 June 2020 thumb|150px|right|Prime Minister Manmohan Singh The United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the governing alliance in India elected in 2004, faced its first confidence vote in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) on 22 July 2008 after the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front withdrew support over India approaching the IAEA for the Indo-US nuclear deal. The vote was so crucial that the UPA and the opposition parties summoned MPs from their sick beds and even from prison cells to take part in the vote, which was eventually won by the Government.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7519860.stm Indian government survives vote 22 July 2008 BBC 2008-07-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20080723001456/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7519860.stm 23 July 2008 live Before the vote The following list indicates the official position of the political parties before the voting.Joshua Anita 2008-06-12 National : Small parties, independents in great demand http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/12/stories/2008071260391200.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090519184302/http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/12/stories/2008071260391200.htm 2009-05-19 2009-05-03 The Hindu Chennai, India Votes for the GovernmentVotes against the GovernmentUndecidedUnited Progressive Alliance (226) Indian National Congress (153) Rashtriya Janata Dal (24) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (16) Nationalist Congress Party (11) Pattali Makkal Katchi (6) Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (5) Lok Jan Shakti Party (4) Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Breakaway) (2) All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (1) People's Democratic Party (1) Republican Party of India (1) Sikkim Democratic Front (1) Indian Union Muslim League (1) Others (42) Samajwadi Party (37) Independent (3) Bharatiya Navshakti Party (1) National Loktantrik Party (1)National Democratic Alliance (169) Bharatiya Janata Party (130) Shiv Sena (12) Biju Janata Dal (11) Janata Dal (United) (8) Shiromani Akali Dal (8) Left Front (59) Communist Party of India (Marxist) (43) Communist Party of India (10) All India Forward Bloc (3) Revolutionary Socialist Party (3) Left-Backed MPs (3) Kerala Congress (2) Janata Dal (Secular) (1) Independent (1) UNPA (8) Telugu Desam Party (5) Asom Gana Parishad (2) Independent (1) Others (24) Bahujan Samaj Party (17) Samajwadi Party (Breakaway) (2) Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (2) Telangana Rashtra Samithi (3)Undecided (11) Mizo National Front (1) Nagaland People's Front (1) All India Trinamool Congress (1) Rashtriya Lok Dal (3) Janata Dal (Secular) (2) Independent (1) Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (2) UPA and supporters: 268 MPs for the government NDA and others: 263 MPs against the government Undecided: 11 MPs Non-voting: 1 MP Voting In the 543 member Lok Sabha, the UPA needed 272 votes for the government to enjoy a simple majority.Lok Sabha Members https://web.archive.org/web/20090831102348/http://164.100.47.134/newls/membershomepage.aspx 31 August 2009 Lok Sabha The UPA won the confidence vote with 275 votes to the opposition's 256, (10 members abstained from the vote) to record a 19-vote victory.https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/world/asia/23india.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin Indian Government Survives Confidence Vote 23 July 2007 The New York Times Somini Sengupta 2010-04-22 22 September 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180922173605/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/world/asia/23india.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin liveIndian gov't wins trust vote in parliament Xinhua275 not outSeptember 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes Kashmir TimesPost trust vote victory, India Govt. to move forward with reforms, nuclear deal https://web.archive.org/web/20080921235035/http://in.ibtimes.com/articles/20080723/india-upa-nuclear-deal-trust-vote-confidence-motion-bjp-left-reform.htm 21 September 2008 International Business times Abstentions Ten members abstained from the voting despite some of them having received strict contrary instructions from their parties.Abstentions and cross-voting...August 2021 medicmedic Hindustan TimesGupta Surojit Government wins confidence vote http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-34626120080722 5 December 2011 Reuters 23 July 2008September 2024 medicmedic Among the 10, 2 MPs followed their party decision of abstaining so as to not be seen as supporting the UPA or the BJP, Left led opposition. Those two were: Trinamool Congress: Mamata Banerjee and Mizo National Front: Vanlalzawma. The other eight members who abstained defied their party stand. These eight were: Bharatiya Janata Party: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Chandrabhan Singh, Manorama Madhavaraj, Kishan Lal Diler and Bahubhai Katara Shiromani Akali Dal: Sukhdev Singh Libra Janata Dal (United): P.P. Koya Shiv Sena: Tukaram Ganpatrao Renge Patil Telugu Desam Party: D K Audikesavulu Cross voting The seven members of the UPA who cross-voted against the government were: Samajwadi Party: Chaudhary Munawwar Hasan, S.P. Singh Baghel, Rajnarayan Budholiya, Jaiprakash Rawat, Atiq Ahmed and Afzal Ansari.https://archive.today/20130125061233/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Agony-and-ecstasy-for-Amar-all-in-one-day/Article1-325843.aspx Agony and ecstasy for Amar, all in one day Hindustan Times Indian National Congress: Kuldeep Bishnoi21 MPs cross-voted during Parliament trust motion https://web.archive.org/web/20210211165342/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/21_MPs_cross-voted_on_Tuesday/articleshow/3268020.cms 11 February 2021 Economic Times Conversely, there were at least four members of the opposition who cross-voted in favour of the government proposal. These 4 were Bharatiya Janata Party: Harising Nasaru Rathod and H.T. Sangliana. Biju Janata Dal: Hari Har Swain Janata Dal (United): Ramswaroop Prasad Allegations of bribery Notes-for-Vote scandal Three BJP MPs – Ashok Argal (Morena), Faggan Singh Kulaste (Mandla) and Mahavir Bhagora (Salumber) amidst discussion walked towards the Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and placed two brown and black leather bags on a table. They pulled out bundles of 1000 yes and alleged that Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh had tried to offer them bribe to vote in favour of the government. The BJP MP Kulaste, alleged that Amar Singh and Congress leader Ahmed Patel, an aide to Sonia Gandhi tried to offer bribe of 90 m yes to remain absent from the confidence vote. Amar Singh denied the charges.http://www.ibnlive.com/news/singh-is-king-upa-wins-trust-vote/69332-3-p1.html SINGH IS KING: UPA WINS TRUST VOTE 22 July 2008 CNN IBN 2008-07-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20080725003751/http://www.ibnlive.com/news/singh-is-king-upa-wins-trust-vote/69332-3-p1.html 25 July 2008 live Speaker Somnath Chatterjee asked the police chief of New Delhi to investigate the bribery issue.Indian PM celebrates vote win, says millions will benefit https://web.archive.org/web/20110520152129/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ipIyoGI9ajOiSEfU3B53Xnp0bkUw 20 May 2011 AFP Indian news channel CNN IBN which carried out the sting operation by recording using hidden cameras agreed to share the material with Indian authorities.http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/23/stories/2008072360031200.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20080725014033/http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/23/stories/2008072360031200.htm dead 25 July 2008 CNN-IBN: ready to submit sting material to Speaker 23 July 2008 Chennai, India The Hindu 4 August 2010 A joint parliamentary committee formed to investigate the issue submitted its report to the Lok Sabha on 15 December 2008, after finding no evidence for bribery against the MPs Amar Singh and Ahmad Patel, thereby exonerating them.Parl panel exonerates Amar Singh in cash-for-votes scam https://web.archive.org/web/20090525081841/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/parl-panel-exonerates-amar-singh-in-cashforvotes-scam/398692/ 25 May 2009 . Retrieved 16 September 2010. In March 2011, a parliamentary panel recommended a formal investigation into the bribery allegations, following renewed scrutiny of the cash-for-votes scandal by opposition parties and media.2011-03-22 India cable 'authentic' - Assange https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12815000?utm_source=chatgpt.com 2025-07-02 BBC News en-GB Expulsions As a result of not obeying the instructions issued by their political parties, many MPs were expelled as an aftermath of the vote. The speaker of the house, Somnath Chatterjee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was expelled from his party on 23 July 2008. The Bhartiya Janata Party expelled all its eight members who defied party guidelines by cross voting and abstentions during the vote of confidence. The leader of the party L. K. Advani also said that 22 July should go down as a black day in parliament history.BJP expels all rebel MPs who voted for UPA http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bjp-expels-all-rebel-mps-who-voted-for-upa/69407-3.html?xml https://web.archive.org/web/20121015172437/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bjp-expels-all-rebel-mps-who-voted-for-upa/69407-3.html?xml dead 15 October 2012 10 June 2011 The Telugu Desam Party has reported that disciplinary action against two of its MPs, D. K. Adikesavulu Naidu and M. Jagannadham, would be taken as they voted in support of UPA government,http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-07-23/india/27938556_1_trust-vote-disciplinary-action-mps https://web.archive.org/web/20121021103416/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-07-23/india/27938556_1_trust-vote-disciplinary-action-mps dead 21 October 2012 TDP to take action against MPs who voted for UPA 23 July 2008 The Times of India 2008-07-23 though there were reports of abstention by Adikeshavalu Naidu. The Biju Janata Dal expelled its MP, Harihara Swain for voting in favour of government.http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14721640 BJD, SAD cross-voters face expulsion 23 July 2008 Sify 2008-07-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20080727095315/http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14721640 27 July 2008 dead The Shiromani Akali Dal has asked for an explanation from its MP who abstained from voting. Animal sacrifice It was reported that the Samajwadi Party MLA from Lanji Kishore Samrite sacrificed 319 animals – 302 goats, 17 buffaloes – in a 10-day-long yajna at Guwahati's Kamakhya temple for appeasing the Goddess Kamakhya in order for UPA to win the trust vote. Samrite also offered another 'yajna' at Ugratara temple in the city and sacrificed two buffalos there.http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/29upavote1.htm 319 animals killed for UPA survival. Divinity? 2008-07-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20080801002957/http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/29upavote1.htm 1 August 2008 live He spent about 17 lakh on the yajna, and self-confessed to have done it before several times, in distress. External links to speeches Dr. Manmohan Singh's speech P.Chidambaram's speech References Lok Sabha vote of confidence Lok Sabha vote of confidence Category:Political history of India Category:14th Lok Sabha Category:Manmohan Singh administration Category:Votes of no confidence in Asia Category:July 2008 in India