Anti-defection law Context: The crisis in Maharashtra and even earlier instances are grim reminders of what the Tenth Schedule can and cannot do. Law on defections, ‘mergers’: Instances of floor crossing have long gone unchecked and unpunished. In part, this can be attributed to the exemption given to mergers between political parties which […]

    Anti-defection Law Subject: Polity Section: Parliament The anti-defection law punishes individual Members of Parliament (MPs)/MLAs for leaving one party for another. Parliament added it to the Constitution as the Tenth Schedule in 1985. Its purpose was to bring stability to governments by discouraging legislators from changing parties. The Tenth Schedule – popularly known […]

    Anti-Defection Law Subject: Polity Section: Parliament Context: Recent report by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) says that close to 90 per cent of the MLAs across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Punjab, who recontested in the 2022 Assembly polls after switching parties saw their wealth grow between 2017 and 2022 Anti-Defection Law: […]

    Anti-Defection Law Subject – Polity Context – Almost seven months after the Babulal Marandi-led Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) merged with the BJP in February this year, the Jharkhand Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato has not yet taken any decision on granting status of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) to him under the anti-defection […]

Subject: Polity Context: The BJP-led coalition government in Manipur came apart with three BJP MLAs defected to the Congress, thus reducing its number of legislators from 21 to 18 in the 60-member assembly. Concept: The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by 52nd amendment. It lays down the process by which legislators […]