Understanding Constitutional Amendment Bills in Lok Sabha

Let's analyze what happens when a Constitutional amendment bill, especially one related to amending Article 368, is considered in the Lok Sabha.

Constitutional amendment bills are governed by Article 368 of the Constitution of India. For a bill to amend the Constitution to be passed by either House of Parliament, it requires a special majority. This special majority is defined by two conditions that must be fulfilled simultaneously:

• A majority (more than 50%) of the total membership of the House.
• A majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting.

Applying the Special Majority Rule to the Scenario

In the given scenario, a Constitutional amendment bill related to Article 368 is under consideration in the Lok Sabha. We are told the following:

• Number of members present in Lok Sabha = 270
• Number of members voting in favour of the bill = 270

Let's calculate the required majorities based on these conditions.

First, we need to know the total membership of the Lok Sabha. The current total sanctioned strength of the Lok Sabha is 545 members (excluding nominated members if any, as per recent changes). For calculating the "majority of the total membership", we consider this number.

• Condition 1: Majority of total membership
• Total membership of Lok Sabha = 545
• Required majority of total membership = $\lfloor \frac{545}{2} \rfloor + 1 = 272 + 1 = 273$

Next, we look at the members present and voting.

• Condition 2: Two-thirds majority of members present and voting
• Number of members present and voting = 270
• Required two-thirds majority of members present and voting = $\lceil \frac{2}{3} \times 270 \rceil = \lceil 180 \rceil = 180$

Evaluating the Outcome

For the Constitutional amendment bill to pass in the Lok Sabha, it must receive votes from at least 273 members (Condition 1) AND at least 180 members (Condition 2).

In the given situation, 270 members voted in favour of the bill.

• Does the number of votes (270) meet Condition 1 (at least 273)? No, 270 is less than 273.
• Does the number of votes (270) meet Condition 2 (at least 180)? Yes, 270 is greater than 180.

Since the bill fails to meet the first condition (majority of the total membership), it will not be passed by the Lok Sabha, even though all present members voted in favour and met the second condition (two-thirds of present and voting).

Therefore, the bill will not be passed.