NDA Nears Two-Third Majority In Rajya Sabha After TMC Split, AAP MPs' Defection | Number Game Explained

Jagran Bureau, New Delhi | With the split and revolt in opposition parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party's strength in the Upper House is growing. Recent political developments in other parties have indirectly strengthened the BJP and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Rajya Sabha.

Following a major revolt in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), seven of its MPs joined the BJP. Now, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik, who resigned from the Trinamool Congress and joined the BJP, have been nominated by the party for the Rajya Sabha by-elections in West Bengal.

NDA Nears Two-Thirds Majority In Rajya Sabha

Their victory is certain, and the NDA appears to be rapidly moving towards a historic two-thirds majority in the House. TMC Rajya Sabha MPs Sukhendu, Sushmita, and Prakash recently resigned from their party memberships, as well as their membership in the House, necessitating a bypoll for these three seats. As was speculated, all three joined the BJP, and the saffron party immediately nominated them for the Rajya Sabha by-elections.

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All three candidates from the saffron party, which recently secured a historic majority in West Bengal, are certain to win. The elections are scheduled for July 24.

NDA's Tally In Rajya Sabha

This will further strengthen the ruling party's tally in the Rajya Sabha. In fact, the BJP currently has 114 members in the 245-member Upper House, and with the addition of these three members from Bengal, the BJP's strength will increase to 117. Now, if we consider the NDA, there are 26 members from allied parties. If we add the three BJP-supported independent members who recently won from Jharkhand, the NDA's total strength reaches 146 members.

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NDA May Fall Short Of 13 MPs

Even though the nominated members may not officially belong to any camp, they are indirectly considered supporters of the ruling party. In such a situation, if the numbers game is needed in the House, the seven nominated members will be included, bringing the total to 153. Meanwhile, a two-thirds majority requires 164, leaving the NDA just 13 MPs short.

AAP And TMC Play Major Role

Meanwhile, there is talk that three or four of the TMC's remaining ten Rajya Sabha members are likely to defect from the Trinamool. If this happens, the BJP will only need about seven to eight MPs to achieve a two-thirds majority.

It is noteworthy that the split in the Aam Aadmi Party played a major role in bringing the NDA to this figure. In April, seven of its MPs—Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Ashok Mittal, Rajendra Gupta, and Vikramjeet Singh Sahni—resigned from the party and took oath as BJP MPs.