When was the last constitutional amendment passed, which party had two-thirds majority in Parliament?

New Delhi:After the rejection of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, political rhetoric has intensified. Opposition parties termed it a big victory and accused the BJP government of harming the southern states through delimitation. A two-thirds majority was required to pass the bill, but the government did not have sufficient numbers. This incident has once again raised the question as to when and which government last had a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha and passed a constitutional amendment on its own.

Fall of 131st Amendment Bill

To pass this bill brought under Article 368 of the Constitution, the support of 360 members out of 540 was required. The present government had only 293 members, due to which the bill failed. After the bill was defeated, the government gave a complete answer to the opposition’s questions.

Last example of two-thirds majority after 1984

In the 1984 general elections, Congress, under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, won a huge majority by winning 414 seats. Based on this overwhelming mandate, the government passed the 52nd Constitutional Amendment in 1985, known as the Anti-Defection Law. This amendment tried to curb the tendency of defection in Indian politics.

Rajiv Gandhi government’s limits

However, despite having an overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha, the Rajiv Gandhi government did not get success on every front. The 64th Constitutional Amendment Bill, brought in 1989 with the aim of giving constitutional status to Panchayats, could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha. This example shows that mere majority in the Lok Sabha is not enough, but support in both the houses of the Parliament is necessary.

Coalition era and politics of consensus

After Rajiv Gandhi, the era of coalition politics started in the 1990s, which made consensus-based decisions more important. In 1992, the minority government of the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao created a consensus among various parties and gave constitutional status to the Panchayat Raj system. This was passed as the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, which gave new strength to rural self-governance. In this way, the work which Rajiv Gandhi could not get done despite having a strong majority in the Lok Sabha, was done by the minority government of Narasimha Rao through consensus.

Impact of not getting two-thirds majority

Since 1984, no party has achieved a two-thirds majority on its own. For this reason, constitutional amendment has now become a matter of widespread political consensus. This is why even in recent years, major constitutional changes require governments to communicate and garner support from opposition parties.