What is a motion?

• In parliamentary parlance it means any formal proposal made by a member for the purpose of eliciting a decision of the House. 
• If adopted (voted), it amounts to expressing the will of the House. Any matter of importance can be the subject of a motion.

About No-Confidence motion:

• Article 75 of the Constitution says that the council of ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. 
• It means that the ministry stays in office so long as it enjoys confidence of the majority of the members of the Lok Sabha. 
• Lok Sabha can remove the ministry from office by passing a no confidence motion. 

No-confidence procedure

• A no-confidence motion can be moved by any member of the House. 
• It can be moved only in the Lok Sabha and not Rajya Sabha. 
• Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and conduct of Lok Sabha specifies the procedure for moving a no-confidence motion. 
• The member has to give a written notice of the motion which will be read out by the Speaker in the House. 
• A minimum of 50 members have to accept the motion and accordingly, the Speaker will announce the date for discussion for the motion. 
• The allotted date has to be within 10 days from the day the motion is accepted. 
• Otherwise, the motion fails and the member who moved the motion will be informed about it.
• If the government is not able to prove its majority in the House, then the government of the day has to resign.

The modes by which voting can be conducted:

1. Voice vote: In a voice vote, where the legislators respond orally.
2. Division vote: In case of a division vote, voting is done using electronic gadgets, slips or in a ballot box.
3. Ballot vote: Ballot box is usually a secret vote 

Why in News?

The no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly against Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa was defeated by a voice vote.

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/no-confidence-motion-defeated-by-voice-vote/article32705733.ece
2. https://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-a-no-confidence-motion-5264558/
3. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/all-you-wanted-to-know-about-no-confidence-motion/no-confidence-procedure/slideshow/65081730.cms