The retirement of four Rajya Sabha members have reduced the strength of BJP in the Upper House of the parliament. BJP is now left with the strength of 86 members, and NDA with 101 members. The Rajya Sabha is currently holding nine vacant seats in which total no. of seats are 245 and is left with 226.
But the concern is that due to a shrink in the BJP’s majority, can the bills still be passed?
Can Bills Be Passed?
Irrespective of a notable shrink of BJP in the Upper House of the Parliament, the NDA can still pass important legislation with the support of seven non-aligned nominated members, two independents, and friendly parties like AIADMK and YSRCP during the upcoming budget session.
However, it is better suggested for the alliance to fill the vacant nominated seats soon to reduce its reliance on these other members.
Who Retired?
The four members who retired are Rakesh Sinha, Ram Shakal, Sonal Mansingh, and Mahesh Jethmalani. They joined the BJP after being nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
The President nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha based on the government’s recommendation. In the current House, seven of these members remain non-aligned but often support the ruling party in legislative matters.
Currently, the Rajya Sabha has 19 vacancies: four each from Jammu & Kashmir and the nominated category, and 11 from eight different states (two each from Assam, Bihar, and Maharashtra, and one each from Haryana, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tripura).
Ten of these 11 seats became vacant last month due to members being elected to the Lok Sabha, and one due to the resignation of Bharat Rashtra Samithi member K Keshava Rao, who later joined Congress.
Elections for these seats are expected in the coming months, which could result in the NDA winning eight seats and the INDIA bloc winning three, including one seat from Telangana to Congress. This would increase Congress’s total to 27 seats, two more than needed to retain the leader of the opposition post in the Rajya Sabha.
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