What is a Whip In a State Assembly or Parliament

Recently, the Supreme Court made an oral observation that legislators belonging to a political party in a ruling coalition are obligated to follow the party whip, and if any group of MLAs expresses their unwillingness to support the coalition, they will face disqualification.

What is a ‘whip’ in the House?

• In the House, a "whip" is a term used to describe both a written order given to members of a political party to follow a certain direction, as well as the official designated by the party to issue such orders. 
• This term comes from the old British tradition of "whipping in" lawmakers to ensure they follow the party's position. 
• Whips can require party members to be present for an important vote and to vote in a particular way. 
• In India, all political parties are authorized to issue whips to their members, and they appoint a senior member from their House contingents as the chief whip to issue these orders, assisted by additional whips.

How serious are whips issued by parties?

• The seriousness of whips issued by political parties can vary depending on the number of underlines they have. 
• A one-line whip, underlined once, is usually issued to inform party members of a vote and allows them to abstain if they choose not to follow the party's position. 
• A two-line whip requires members to be present during the vote. 
• The strongest whip is a three-line whip, which is used during critical occasions such as the second reading of a Bill or a no-confidence motion.

• Members are obligated to follow the party line under a three-line whip.

What can happen if a whip is defied?

• In the United Kingdom, a Member of Parliament (MP) can be expelled from their party for defying the whip but can retain their House seat as an Independent. 
• In the United States, the party whip's role is to gauge legislators' support or opposition to a Bill and persuade them to vote according to the party's position. 
• In India, going against a three-line whip can jeopardize a lawmaker's membership of the House, and the Speaker/Chairperson can disqualify such a member under the anti-defection law, unless over one-third of legislators vote against the directive, effectively splitting the party.

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