A Whip is an official party member who is generally the party’s ‘enforcer’ inside the legislative assembly or parliament.

Functions of Whip

The Supreme Court in its recent judgement has said that whenever a statement is made by someone in the Council of Ministers, where coalition government and Multi-party system exist, it is not possible

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About Whip in the Parliamentary System

A Whip is an official party member who is generally the party’s ‘enforcer’ inside the legislative assembly or parliament.
Every political party, whether ruling or Opposition, has its own whip in the Parliament, who is appointed by the political party to serve as an assistant floor leader.
The office of ‘whip’, is mentioned neither in the Constitution of India nor in the Rules of the House nor in a Parliamentary Statute. It is based on the conventions of the parliamentary government.
India inherited the concept of the whip from the British parliamentary system.
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.

Functions of Whip

Charged with the responsibility of ensuring the attendance of his party members in large numbers and securing their support in favour of or against a particular issue.
Regulating and Monitoring the party members’ behaviour in the Parliament.
Charging Disciplinary action against the members, who fail to follow the directives given by the whip.
Plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth and efficient conduct of business on the floor of the House.
Identification of signs of discontent among party members and informing the respective leaders of their party.

What happens when Whip is Disobeyed?

A legislator may face disqualification proceedings if she/he disobeys the whip of the party unless the number of lawmakers defying the whip is 2/3rds of the party’s strength in the house.
This Disqualification is decided by the speaker of the house.

Types of Whips

One-line whip is issued to inform members of a party about a vote. It allows a member to abstain in case they decide not to follow the party line.
Two-line whip is issued to direct the members to be present in the House at the time of voting.
Three-line whip is issued to members directing them to vote as per the party line.

Limitations of 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.