Cross-voting helps BJP gain RS seats; NDA now four short of majority mark

BJP netted two extra seats from cross-voting in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has inched closer to the majority mark in the Upper House of Parliament after winning 30 out of the 56 seats in the latest round of the biennial Rajya Sabha elections.

Of the 56 vacancies for which the elections were held on Tuesday, the BJP had 28 sitting MPs, a number it was expected to retain. However, cross-voting in Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh helped it win two more seats, taking its tally to 30.

With the win of these 30 seats, the BJP's tally in Rajya Sabha will go up to 96 and NDA’s strength to 117 seats, once the newly elected members are sworn-in in April.

The total strength of the Rajya Sabha is 245, but it currently has five vacancies (four from Jammu and Kashmir and one vacancy in the nominated category). The NDA needs another four seats to reach the majority mark of 121 in the 240-member House.

Of the 11 nominated members in the Upper House, five have opted to be identified as BJP MPs. They include Gulam Ali, Rakesh Sinha, Ram Shakal, Sonal Mansingh and Mahesh Jethmalani. Ali’s term ends in 2028 while that of the other four members expires in 2024. The remaining six including Ranjan Gogoi, PT Usha and Ilaiyaraaja, are unaffiliated. There is one vacancy in the category.

While the BJP won 30 of the 56 seats in the biennial elections, the Congress won nine, Trinamool Congress four, Samajwadi Party two, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) three, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Biju Janata Dal two seats each. Shiv Sena, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Janata Dal (United) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won a seat each. Since 2019, the BJP has relied on support from BJD, YSRCP and BRS to ensure the passage of crucial bills.