NEW DELHI: The NDA reached the majority mark in Rajya Sabha on its own for the first time since it assumed office in 2014 with BJP winning nine seats and its allies two in bypolls to 12 seats in the latest round. All candidates were elected unopposed.
BJP now has 96 seats in the House of 237, with eight seats – four in J&K and four in the nominated category – lying vacant.Along with allies and the support of six nominated and two Independent members, NDA has touched the majority mark of 119. With its improved tally, NDA can get any legislation passed without having to enlist the support of friendly non-NDA, non-UPA parties. In its last term, Modi govt had to depend on either YSRCP (11 members), BJD (8) or AIADMK (4) to get the required numbers in RS. NDA reaching the majority mark on its own is crucial given the uncertainties attached to YSRCP and BJD which have decided to side with the opposition this time.
If nominations go BJP’s way, NDA’s RS tally can hit 123
Since nominated members invariably go with the governing party, govt has one more window to increase its lead once it nominates four members to the vacant seats. In that case, NDA’s tally with support of nominated and independent MPs will reach 123 – two more than the majority mark in the House of 241.
Congress’ Abhishek Manu Singhvi won the lone seat from Telangana unopposed, with the party reaching 27 in the Upper House – two more than what it needs to retain its leader of opposition post in Rajya Sabha. Before the bypolls, the party had 26 members, putting the fate of leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge hanging by a thread.
In the bypolls, BJP won one seat each from Madhya Pradesh (George Kurian), Rajasthan (Ravneet Singh Bittu), Odisha (Mamata Mohanta), Tripura (Rajib Bhattacharjee), Maharashtra (Dhairyashil Patil), Bihar (Manan Kumar Mishra) and Haryana (Kiran Choudhry), and two from Assam (Rameswar Teli and Mission Ranjan Das) whereas its allies won one seat each from Bihar (Upendra Kushwaha of Rashtriya Lok Manch) and Maharashtra (Nitin Patil of NCP).
Ten of the 12 seats fell vacant as sitting BJP, Congress and RJD members from seven states were elected to Lok Sabha while one member each from Telangana and Odisha resigned and switched to other parties. In Telangana, BRS member K Keshava Rao resigned and joined Congress while in Odisha BJD’s Mamata Mohanta resigned and joined BJP.
BJP now has 96 seats in the House of 237, with eight seats – four in J&K and four in the nominated category – lying vacant.Along with allies and the support of six nominated and two Independent members, NDA has touched the majority mark of 119. With its improved tally, NDA can get any legislation passed without having to enlist the support of friendly non-NDA, non-UPA parties. In its last term, Modi govt had to depend on either YSRCP (11 members), BJD (8) or AIADMK (4) to get the required numbers in RS. NDA reaching the majority mark on its own is crucial given the uncertainties attached to YSRCP and BJD which have decided to side with the opposition this time.
If nominations go BJP’s way, NDA’s RS tally can hit 123
Since nominated members invariably go with the governing party, govt has one more window to increase its lead once it nominates four members to the vacant seats. In that case, NDA’s tally with support of nominated and independent MPs will reach 123 – two more than the majority mark in the House of 241.
Congress’ Abhishek Manu Singhvi won the lone seat from Telangana unopposed, with the party reaching 27 in the Upper House – two more than what it needs to retain its leader of opposition post in Rajya Sabha. Before the bypolls, the party had 26 members, putting the fate of leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge hanging by a thread.
In the bypolls, BJP won one seat each from Madhya Pradesh (George Kurian), Rajasthan (Ravneet Singh Bittu), Odisha (Mamata Mohanta), Tripura (Rajib Bhattacharjee), Maharashtra (Dhairyashil Patil), Bihar (Manan Kumar Mishra) and Haryana (Kiran Choudhry), and two from Assam (Rameswar Teli and Mission Ranjan Das) whereas its allies won one seat each from Bihar (Upendra Kushwaha of Rashtriya Lok Manch) and Maharashtra (Nitin Patil of NCP).
Ten of the 12 seats fell vacant as sitting BJP, Congress and RJD members from seven states were elected to Lok Sabha while one member each from Telangana and Odisha resigned and switched to other parties. In Telangana, BRS member K Keshava Rao resigned and joined Congress while in Odisha BJD’s Mamata Mohanta resigned and joined BJP.