Context: Goa's Leader of the Opposition, said “there needs to be accountability and responsibility of every elected representative towards the people" and he set to move a private member’s resolution to recommend to the Central government to address the various issues associated with the anti-defection law.
Key Issues

• The changes need to be made to the anti-defection law in a way that such cases of defections go directly before the High Court or the Supreme Court for an “express judgment”.
• “The judgment should be given in a period of 60 days or something like that so that people come to know their fate immediately. 
• The second option is that if somebody has any difference of opinion with respect to the party or the party leadership, he has the option to resign and seek the fresh mandate of the people so that, once and for all, the matter is resolved.
• The anti-defection law makes it mandatory that two-thirds of the strength of a party should agree for a ‘merger’. The amendment, which came into force in January 2004, does not recognise a ‘split’ in a legislature party and instead recognises a ‘merger’.
• In many instances, the Speaker (usually from the ruling party) has delayed deciding on the disqualification. The Supreme Court has tried to plug this by ruling that the Speaker has to decide the case in three months, but it is not clear what would happen if a Speaker does not do so.

About About Anti-Defection Act

• The Tenth Schedule — popularly known as the Anti-Defection Act — was included in the Constitution via the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985 and sets the provisions for disqualification of elected members on the grounds of defection to another political party.

The grounds for disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law are as follows:

• If an elected member voluntarily gives up his membership of a political party.
• If he votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by his political party or anyone authorised to do so, without obtaining prior permission.
• As a pre-condition for his disqualification, his abstention from voting should not be condoned by his party or the authorised person within 15 days of such incident.
• If any independently elected member joins any political party.
• If any nominated member joins any political party after the expiry of six months.

As per the 1985 Act, a 'defection' by one-third of the elected members of a political party was considered a 'merger'.

• But the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, changed this and now at least two-thirds of the members of a party have to be in favour of a "merger" for it to have validity in the eyes of the law.
• The members so disqualified can stand for elections from any political party for a seat in the same House.
• The decision on questions as to disqualification on ground of defection are referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of such House, which is subject to ‘Judicial review’.