Ensure presence of members in Lok Sabha today: BJP to whips

New Delhi: Ahead of the voting on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, the BJP on Thursday told its whips to ensure the presence of its members in the House tomorrow and indicated that action will be taken against absentees.

Chairing a meeting of all the 14 whips, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar asked them to call the MPs in their respective groups over dinner and ensure their presence in the House tomorrow, sources said.

He also indicated that the party will take action against the absentees, they said.

The BJP has 274 members in the Lok Sabha including Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. To defeat the motion, the government requires the support of 268 members in the House which currently has an effective strength of 534.

The party's Chief Whip Anurag Thakur has already issued instructions to the members to remain present in the Lok Sabha on Friday.