NEW DELHI: The BJP is likely to strengthen its position in the Rajya Sabha after by-elections for 12 vacant seats are held in September.
The party hopes to be in a position to facilitate the passage of key legislations, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, which was introduced in the just-concluded Budget session. The move is seen as a part of the party’s tactic to dent the Muslim Pasmanda and woman vote banks. This could add strength to the party’s strong campaign in many state elections this year and the next.
According to the available strength in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP has 87 MPs out of the effective strength of 229. With the addition of NDA (National Democratic Alliance) numbers, the strength can go up to 105.
If the votes of the six nominated members, who have generally voted with the government, are taken into account, the NDA’s strength would touch 111, which is just four short of the half-way mark of 115 in the Upper House.
On the INDIA bloc side, the Congress has a strength of 26 members in the RS. Together with the allies, the bloc’s strength could touch 84. The YSR Congress has 11 members and BJD eight, but they seldom come along with the Opposition.
As per official sources, the elections to the 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats in nine states will be held on September 3. The Election Commission has announced 12 separate elections for each seat.
BJP sources said the NDA can win 11 out of 12 seats, which will consolidate its position with a majority in the House. “This will certainly take the NDA past the halfway mark to 122 seats in the 245-member House. This would enable us to get all key bills including the Waqf Bill, through in the Rajya Sabha,” said a senior BJP leader.
According to official figures, four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir in the Upper House are also vacant as the Union Territory is yet to get its first assembly in September or October.
A BJP source said 10 Rajya Sabha seats have fallen vacant after its members, including Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, have been elected to the Lok Sabha.
Recently, K Keshava Rao from Telangana resigned from the House after quitting the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to join the Congress, followed by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Mamata Mohanta who also resigned from her Rajya Sabha seat and joined the BJP.
Other Rajya Sabha members who, after being elected to Lok Sabha, have their Rajya Sabha seats vacant include Kamakhya Prasad Tasa (BJP), Misa Bharti (RJD), Vivek Thakur (BJP), Deepender Singh Hooda (Congress), Udayanraje Bhosle (BJP), KC Venugopal (Congress) and Biplab Kumar Deb (BJP).
“It is believed that some important BJP leaders who lost the recent Lok Sabha elections by a slim margin, such as Smriti Irani, could be considered for the Upper House because of their political stature and experiences,” said a BJP MP.
If party sources are to be believed, the BJP may send a prominent Muslim face to the Upper House to make it easier for it to soften up the Muslim stand on the Waqf Bill.
Number-crunching
According to the available strength in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP has 87 MPs out of the effective strength of 229. With the addition of NDA (National Democratic Alliance) numbers, the strength can go up to 105. If the votes of the six nominated members, who have generally voted with the government, are taken into account, the NDA’s strength would touch 111, which is just four short of the half-way mark of 115 in the Upper House.