Bengal triumph promises BJP delayed Rajya Sabha dividend | India News
New Delhi: BJP’s strong performance in West Bengal will give the party an advantage in the upper house just after the next assembly elections as the first vacancies in the state will be reported in August 2029.Similarly in Tamil Nadu, its impact will be seen two years from now. The state assembly election results will only help a new political entity enter the upper house in June 2028 when the Tamilga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) will make its debut by sending at least three members to the Rajya Sabha at the cost of one member each from the DMK, Congress and AIADMK.Regardless, the BJP’s overall legislative strength – which has increased from 773 MLAs in September, 2013 to 1,798 in May 2026 – will increase the party’s MLA footprint in the Upper House. If the winning streak continues in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat next year, it will help the NDA reach a two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha.On the other hand, Congress’ repeated defeats in the states will continue to erode its strength in the upper house where the party currently stands at 29 to the BJP’s 113.While the Kerala results will hurt the numbers of the Left parties in the Upper House next year, it will not affect the overall tally of the Bharat Bloc in the Rajya Sabha as the Left’s defeat will only give the Congress additional numbers.Similarly, an All India NR Congress (AINRC)-led NDA victory in Puducherry will help the NDA retain the lone seat from the union territory when the vacancy occurs in October next year.The result in Assam will also not affect the Rajya Sabha math as much as the BJP will continue to hold its ground with its repeated victories there.
