Narendra Modi government still in comfortable majority despite TDP's exit from NDA

The TDP's exit could have a greater impact on the government in the Rajya Sabha.

NEW DELHI: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has walked out of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with its 22 MPs - 16 in Lok Sabha and 6 in Rajya Sabha. While this may not affect the government  in any way in the Lok Sabha, it could pose problems in the Upper House.

The stability of the NDA government is not at stake. The BJP has 274 MPs of its own, which is just past the halfway mark of 272. The party had decided in 2014, when it had won 282 seats, that though it had enough MPs on its own, it would still include its pre-poll allies in government.

Taken together with allies, the NDA had 331 members in the Lok Sabha and 79 in the Rajya Sabha on Friday morning. Now that the TDP has left, the NDA's strength is down to 315 in the Lok Sabha and 73 in the Rajya Sabha.

That's still comfortable for the Narendra Modi government, not to mention support that has been more or less readily available from close non-allies like the post-Jayalalithaa AIADMK (37 LS and 13 RS).

The comfortable margin the NDA government has in the Lok Sabha is the reason it need not worry about the YSR Congress's no-confidence motion, and treat it as a visible protest over the demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh.

Here is a full list of NDA members with their strengths in the Lok Sabha:
Bharatiya Janata Party: 274 LS, 58 RS
Shiv Sena: 18 LS, 
Lok Janshakti Party: 6
Shiromani Akali Dal: 4 LS, 3 RS
Rashtriya Lok Samta Party: 3
Janata Dal (United): 2 LS, 7 RS
Indian National Lok Dal: 2
Apna Dal: 2
Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party: 1
Sikkim Democratic Front: 1
Pattali Makkal Katchi: 1
All India NR Congress: 1
National Peoples Party: 1

Here is a full list of NDA members with their strengths in the Rajya Sabha:
Bharatiya Janata Party: 54
Janata Dal (United): 7
Shiromani Akali Dal: 3
Shiv Sena: 3
Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party: 2
Indian National Lok Dal: 1
Sikkim Democratic Front: 1
Republican Party of India (A): 1

Naga Peoples Front: 1