BJP-Led NDA Loses Majority In Rajya Sabha But May Get Good News After Bypolls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has lost the majority in the Rajya Sabha after its tally dipped below 90 for the first time in several years. However, the party is likely to get a boost after the bypolls for the vacant Rajya Sabha seats. The BJP/NDA is likely to make some gains after the by-elections.

BJP's Current Rajya Sabha Strength

The current strength of Rajya Sabha is 226 with the BJP having 86 members followed by 26 of the Congress and 13 of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). There are currently 19 vacancies. The majority mark of the full house is 113. The NDA's tally with the support of its allies stands at 101, a dozen short of the majority mark. The BJD has nine MPs but it has already withdrawn support to the NDA government.

Vacancies In Rajya Sabha

Out of the total 19 vacancies in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, four are from Jammu and Kashmir where there is no assembly currently after the erstwhile state was made a Union Territory in 2019. The Election Commission (EC) is yet to announce the date for elections to fill the 11 vacancies affected by the resignation of as many members. Ten of them were elected to Lok Sabha while one MP, K Keshava Rao of the BRS, quit after joining the Congress.

BJP vs Congress

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is confident of winning two seats each in Bihar, Maharashtra and Assam and one each in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tripura due to their numerical superiority over the opposition. Also, the four newly nominated members are also expected to be pro-treasury benches whenever the government names them. With these fourteen members, the NDA will have a strength of 115, two more than the majority mark.

The ruling Congress is looking to win the lone seat in Telangana at the expense of the BRS but its gain will be cancelled in Rajasthan where the BJP, which has a strong majority, will pick up the seat vacated by K C Venugopal, a senior member of the opposition party who won the Lok Sabha poll from Alappuzha in Kerala. (With agency inputs)