No-trust vote today; 'India will be watching us closely', says PM Modi

New Delhi: The no-confidence motion will be debated in the Lok Sabha today. The ruling BJP has been firming ties with its allies to make the Congress regret its decision to seek a no-confidence motion in the House.

BJP has reached out to disgruntled allies to gather their support and even reached out to friendly parties to abstain if they can’t support. According to reports, the ruling party at the Centre has also spoken to some of its lawmakers who were expected to skip the trust vote on account of poor health, or otherwise.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which was the first to seek the no-confidence motion, will initiate the debate today and Rahul Gandhi will be the Congress's lead speaker.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will reply to the debate, is expected to use the occasion as a launching pad for the 2019 campaign.

Here are top updates to this big story:

• The BJP has the desired number to make a smooth sail through the trust vote. But the party’s effort is not just aimed at a win but making a splash when the votes are counted at the end of the debate. The target is to achieve two-thirds majority, a feat that will be easier to attain if Tamil Nadu ruling AIADMK's 37 lawmakers and Odisha's Biju Janata Dal's 20 lawmakers abstain.
• The Congress said the 'no-confidence motion' was more than a show of numbers and it will use the occasion to "expose" the government's "failure". Congress said it has the support of other opposition parties which has been brought "to show the mirror to the government", highlight the various issues concerning the people of the country and ensure that the truth reaches them.
• “Today is an important day in our Parliamentary democracy. I'm sure my fellow MP colleagues will rise to the occasion and ensure constructive, comprehensive and disruption free debate. We owe this to the people and the makers of our Constitution. India will be watching us closely,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted today.
• By garnering the support of “secret friends” in the form of “non-aligned” regional parties like the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the YSR Congress, the AIADMK, the JD(S), Shiv Sena, the Prime Minister wants to weaken the impression of regional parties floating an anti-BJP front before the 2019 elections.

Read: Modi govt to use no-trust vote to dent Opposition unity

• "It will be a battle," said BJP ally Akali Dal's Naresh Gujral, likening the day-long debate to a joint election rally of all parties for the 2019 elections. He suggested that how various parties vote in the no-trust vote could be an indicator of the "the line-up at the time of elections also".
• On Thursday, Shiv Sena which is the most vocal critic of the BJP in recent days, have agreed to vote against the opposition's motion after BJP president Amit Shah made the call to Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Also Read: Shiv Sena to vote for NDA in no-trust after call from Amit Shah

• The no-confidence motion -- an extension of Andhra Pradesh's demand for special status that would involve extensive financial benefits for the state -- was moved on Wednesday.
• The Opposition accused the BJP of stalling the no-trust move last time. According to reports, BJP feels that once the no-trust vote is debated and defeated in the house today, the Opposition will not have any excuse to disrupt proceedings in parliament further.
• This is the first no-confidence motion Prime Minister Narendra Modi's four-year-old government will face and the first to be taken up in 15 years, since the last BJP-led government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee faced one in 2003.
• The NDA has about 312 members in the 533-member house. The majority mark, however, stands at 267 as 11 seats are vacant. The Congress and the other parties that support the no-trust motion have about 152 seats.