The UPA's southern ally, the DMK, today pulled out of the Congress-led UPA coalition at the Centre in protest against the government's position on a US-backed United Nations resolution on alleged war crimes carried out during Sri Lanka's civil war. Party chief M Karunanidhi announced that his party will also not provide external support to the government.
With the DMK, which has 18 MPs, exiting the government, the UPA is left at 228 seats; the majority mark being 271.
However, the UPA has outside support from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party that has 21 MPs and others including Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD. Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, which may be a fractious ally, also gives outside support to the UPA of its 22 MPs.