The BJP’s strength in the parliamentary Rajya Sabha has suffered a significant decline for the first time in years. BJP’s strength of Rajya Sabha MPs has fallen to 86.
The BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power for the first time in 2014. It was only then that the party got its biggest boost. Successively won assembly elections in various states. As a result, the number of members in the Rajya Sabha increased rapidly. BJP’s Rajya Sabha strength, which has been winning successively, crossed the hundred mark for the first time in 2022.
The Rajya Sabha of Parliament has a total of 245 members. 101 members were from BJP. Apart from this, all the bills brought by the BJP in the Rajya Sabha were easily passed due to the support of MPs from allied parties and outside parties like YSR Congress and Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal. The special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked and finally the IPC laws were abolished and Bharatiya laws were introduced. That too was accomplished in action.
No matter which government is in power at the Centre, laws can only be passed if they have the support of both parties, the Lok Sabha, which has MPs elected by the people, and the Rajya Sabha MPs, which are elected by state MLAs.
Even if there is an absolute majority at the Centre, laws cannot be passed without sufficient strength in the Rajya Sabha. Any law must be passed not only in the Lok Sabha but also in the Rajya Sabha. Only then can it be enacted. In that way, the strength of the MPs has decreased significantly for the BJP, which has become extremely strong in the Rajya Sabha.
The number of MPs has decreased to 86 for the first time in the last few years due to reasons including completion of tenure. . This has raised questions whether there will be problems in passing the bills. Some allied parties like Biju Janata Dal, YSR Congress and AIADMK are no longer likely to support BJP. In that sense, the BJP has some downsides.
Currently 19 seats are vacant in the Rajya Sabha. Of the remaining 226 members, BJP has 86 seats, Congress 26 seats and Trinamool Congress 13 seats. Those who resigned as Rajya Sabha MPs to contest the Lok Sabha elections and PRS from Telangana. 11 seats have become vacant due to MP joining Congress. Apart from this, 4 seats are vacant in Kashmir as there is no assembly at present. Also these vacancies have arisen due to completion of term of 4 appointed members.
Hence, by-elections will be announced soon for the 11 seats left vacant by the resigned MPs. Also, the central government is going to appoint 4 nominated members. This is expected to further increase BJP’s strength.
Will the Rajya Sabha ticket come in handy? Will Anbumani’s dream come true? BJP is losing strength? Will Rajya Sabha ticket come in hand? Will Anbumani’s dream come true? BJP losing strength?
Because BJP and its allies are in power in Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tripura where there are vacancies. With this, the BJP and its allies will win the 10 vacant seats there. Congress is likely to win one seat in Telangana. Hence, after the by-elections, the strength of the BJP will increase significantly, while the bills with the support of the alliance parties can be passed in the Rajya Sabha as usual, say political experts.
