New Delhi, April 3 (H.S.): After nearly 12 hours of lengthy debate and discussions, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill-2025 was passed in the Lok Sabha late Wednesday night. A total of 288 votes were cast in favor of the bill, while 232 MPs voted against it. The Waqf Amendment Bill will be presented in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday at 1 PM, where it will be debated, followed by a voting process.

As the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha began today, the message from the Lok Sabha Secretary was read out, stating that the Waqf Amendment Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha. Following this, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar gave all members time until 1 PM to submit their amendments. In this regard, Saket Gokhale raised an objection, stating that the bill was passed at 2 AM, and its copy was received by members at 11 AM. Hence, how could everyone provide their suggestions so quickly? He argued that members should be given a little more time for this. In response, the Chairman stated that there is no need to deliberate on this matter, as discussions had already taken place previously.

In terms of numbers, the current strength of members is 236, and 119 members are needed to pass the bill. The NDA, led by the BJP, also holds a strong position in the Rajya Sabha. The NDA has 125 MPs in the upper house of Parliament, which has a total of 236 members. This includes 98 from the BJP, four from JD(U), three from NCP, two from TDP, and six nominated members. In other words, the NDA has a majority in the Rajya Sabha as well to pass the bill. The opposition's INDIA alliance comprises 88 MPs, including 27 from Congress and 13 from Trinamool Congress. Even if the seven MPs from BJD, led by Naveen Patnaik, join the INDIA bloc, their number would still not be sufficient.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar