India, June 22 -- A series of defections and mergers has raised fresh questions about the effectiveness of the anti-defection law. The law has been used to aid defections rather than prevent them. Incorporated into the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution in the 1980s, the anti-defection law was crucial for upholding democratic principles. It was meant to ensure political stability and guard against opportunistic defections that undermined the electoral mandate.

The law provides for disqualification for defying a party's whip on important issues, such as a trust vote. It allows the members of a political party to merge with another if two-thirds of its legislative members so decide. The anti-defection law is inapplicable for voting in the ...