WHIP IN PARLIAMENT AND STATE ASSEMBLY

• In parliamentary parlance, a whip is a written order that party members be present for an important vote, or that they vote only in a particular way. It can also refer to a designated official authorised by a party to issue a whip.
• In India, rebelling against a three-line whip can put a lawmaker’s membership of the House at risk.
• Members of a House are bound by the ‘whip’, and if any section of MLAs within a political party that is part of a ruling coalition says it does not want to go with the alliance, the MLAs will attract disqualification.

What is a ‘whip’ in the House?

• In parliamentary parlance, a whip may refer to both a written order to members of a party in the House to abide by a certain direction, and to a designated official of the party who is authorised to issue such a direction.
• The term is derived from the old British practice of “whipping in” lawmakers to follow the party line.
• A whip may require that party members be present in the House for an important vote, or that they vote only in a particular way.
• In India, all parties can issue whips to their members.
• Parties appoint a senior member from among their House contingents to issue whips — this member is called a chief whip, and he/ she is assisted by additional whips.

How serious are whips issued by parties?

• Whips can be of varying degrees of seriousness. The importance of a whip can be inferred from the number of times an order is underlined.
• A one-line whip, underlined once, is usually issued to inform party members of a vote, and allows them to abstain in case they decide not to follow the party line.
• A two-line whip directs them to be present during the vote.
• A three-line whip is the strongest, employed on important occasions such as the second reading of a Bill or a no-confidence motion, and places an obligation on members to toe the party line.

What can happen if a whip is defied?

• The penalty for defying a whip varies from country to country.
• In the United Kingdom, an MP can lose membership of the party for defying the whip, but can keep her/ his House seat as an Independent.
• In the US, as per a note published by PRS Legislative Research, “the party whip’s role is to gauge how many legislators are in support of a Bill and how many are opposed to it — and to the extent possible, persuade them to vote according to the party line on the issue”.
• In India, rebelling against a three-line whip can put a lawmaker’s membership of the House at risk.
• The anti-defection law allows the Speaker/ Chairperson to disqualify such a member; the only exception is when more than a third of legislators vote against a directive, effectively splitting the party.
• Once a government is formed, it is not open to any group of MLAs to say that we don’t want to go with this alliance.
• It is not open to any one segment of a political party to say we don’t want to go with this alliance.
• That will ipso facto attract the disqualification provisions.
• You are bound by the whip. You are bound to vote with your party so long as you are in the legislature, unless there is a merger,” as per the rules.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB