Voting in the Parliament Explained [UPSC]

Voting in the Parliament is a process that decides whether a bill, resolution, etc. will be passed or not. Whatever the results may come, but one thing is known from this that what does the Parliament want after all?

Everyone has the same objective, but for this many processes of voting are adopted, such as voice vote, counting etc. In this article, we will discuss the process of voting in Parliament in a simple and easy way, and try to understand its various important aspects.

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Meaning of voting in the parliament

Voting in the Parliament is a process that decides whether a bill, resolution, etc. will be passed or not. Whatever the results may come, but one thing is known from this that what does the Parliament want after all?

In a parliamentary democracy , an issue is usually decided by voting. All issues are decided by a majority of the members present in either House or in a joint sitting of both the Houses . Some specific cases mentioned in the Constitution, such as impeachment against the President , constitutional amendment proceedings, removal of presiding officers, etc., require a special majority. [Read from here – How many types of majority? ]

The Presiding Officer of the House does not vote in the first attempt but can vote in case of an equality of votes (ie, when the votes of both the parties are equal). This is called the deciding vote.

Lok Sabha: Role, Structure, Functions	Hindi	English
Rajya Sabha: Constitution, Powers	Hindi	English
Parliamentary Motion	Hindi	English

Types of Voting in Parliament

About voting in the House is described in Article 100(1) and Lok Sabha Procedure Rules 367, 367A, 367AA and 367B. On the other hand, in the rules related to Rajya Sabha procedure from 252 to 254, four different methods of ‘division of votes’ have been provided. These methods include voice vote , counting , division of votes through automatic vote recorder and standing in support of the party/opposition by going to the lobby .

Following are the various methods followed for voting in Lok Sabha:-

Voice vote

Voice vote – At the end of the discussion, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha knows the opinion of the members about the motion by asking a question. They say – Those who are in favor of the motion should say ‘Aye’ and those who are against the motion should say ‘No’.

After this the Speaker of the Lok Sabha says that I understand that the motion is in favor of ‘Ayes’. (If in favor of Noes, they will say Noes instead of Ayes). If the Speaker’s decision regarding the question is not challenged, then he says twice ‘Ayes have it’ or Noes, as the case may be, the question will be decided before the House.

But if the decision of the Speaker is challenged on any question, then he will order that the lobby should be cleared. And after three minutes and three seconds, he will ask the same question again and declare again whether he thinks Ayes has won or Noes.

If this opinion declared by the Speaker is again challenged, he shall direct that the votes be recorded with automatic vote recorders or Aye and No slips may be used or that the members may go to the lobby.

lobby position

In the lobby position – the speaker instructs the members of the “Ayes” to move to the right lobby and the members of the “Noes” to the left lobby. There their votes are recorded. However, since the establishment of the Automatic Vote Recording Machine, the method of recording votes in the lobbies has become obsolete.

Automated vote recording

Under Automatic Vote Recording System, each member casts his vote from his place by pressing a button installed for the purpose. Each member seat is fitted with a single push button set. It has a guide light and three push buttons.

There is a green button for ‘yes’ and a red button for ‘no’. And there is also a black colored button which is used for non-voting.

Aye and No slips are used when the automatic device is faulty or the space or partition numbers are not allocated . Printed slips of ‘Yes’ side and ‘No’ side are supplied to the members on their seats for recording their votes. For the members who do not wish to exercise their vote, there is a voting slip written in yellow color.

The competent officer posted in the House scrutinizes the slips of Yes Side, No Side and Voting Non-application and counts the recorded votes and then the result is announced by the Presiding Officer.

If the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is of the opinion that the vote has been claimed unnecessarily, he may ask the members to stand in their places when the counting is done. Then he can announce the decision of the House. In this case the names of the voters are not recorded.

casting vote :The presiding officer does not have the right to vote in the first instance, but can vote, which can be decisive, if the number of votes is equal.

So overall the process of voting in Parliament goes something like this. Hope it is understood. Click on the link below for other articles.

Voting in the Parliament Practice quiz upsc

Important Articles

English Articles	Hindi Articles
Parliament: Powers and Functions Parliamentary Motion : Types, Features parliamentary resolution process of making laws in Parliament Money Bill and Finance Bill Indian Parliament : Brief Discussion Budget – Complete Concept joint sitting of both the houses Parliamentary Committees Consolidated Fund,	भारतीय संसद: शक्तियाँ एवं कार्य संसदीय प्रस्ताव : प्रकार, विशेषताएँ संसदीय संकल्प संसद में कानून बनाने की पूरी प्रक्रिया धन विधेयक और वित्त विधेयक भारतीय संसद : संक्षिप्त परिचर्चा बजट – प्रक्रिया, क्रियान्वयन दोनों सदनों की संयुक्त बैठक संसदीय समितियां संचित निधि, लोक लेखा एवं आकस्मिक निधि

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Original Constitution
Our Parliament – Subhash Kashyap
हमारी संसद – सुभाष कश्यप