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Whip in Parliament
Context
Members of a house are bound by the ‘whip’ and must follow the whip as observed by the Supreme Court.
What is a Whip?
- In parliamentary jargon, a whip is a written directive requiring party members to be present for crucial votes or to vote a certain way only.
- The phrase comes from the traditional British method of "whipping in" legislators to toe the party line.
- To issue whips, parties designate a senior member from among their Parliamentary delegations. This member is called a chief whip, and he/ she is assisted by additional whips.
- In India, all parties can issue whips to their members.
Role of a whip:
- They try to ensure that their fellow political party legislators attend voting sessions and vote according to their party’s official policy.
Limitations of the whip:
- There are some cases such as Presidential elections where whips cannot direct a Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) to vote in a particular fashion.
Violations of whips:
- The consequence for ignoring a whip differs depending on the nation. In the UK, an MP who disobeys the whip can be expelled from the party but still retain their House seat as an Independent.
- In the case of India, The anti-defection law allows the Speaker/ Chairperson to disqualify such a member who has gone against the whip.
- The sole exception is when a directive is opposed by more than a third of lawmakers, essentially dividing the party.
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