NDA Rajya Sabha tally set to cross 130 as 37 seats go to polls in March | India News
New Delhi: The ruling NDA is poised to strengthen its tally in the upper house after the biennial elections to the 37 Rajya Sabha seats on March 16, but the fate of prominent retired members like Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), Abhishek Manu Singhvi (Congress), Ramdas Athawale (RPI-PIA) and Priyanka Chopra. (Army UBT) will depend on how their respective teams coordinate with their alliance partners.With the benefit of at least four additional members in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP-led NDA’s strength is expected to cross 130, from its current strength of 243 with one vacancy each in Jharkhand and West Bengal.The states that will have vacant seats in April are Maharashtra (7 seats), Tamil Nadu (6), West Bengal (5), Bihar (5), Odisha (4), Assam (3), Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Haryana (one each) and Himachal Pradesh (1 each).The NDA has six governments – Maharashtra, Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Assam – among the 10 states where seats will fall vacant due to retirements, giving it a clear advantage. Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal have opposition coalition governments.In Maharashtra, as the ruling coalition, the Mahayuti, is expected to get six seats against one for the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, it is the NDA’s advantage in the state.On the other hand, MVA will see a lot of political maneuvering as the alliance will have to choose between Sena UBT and NCP (SP) candidates. If the NCP (SP) sticks with Pawar, it remains to be seen whether the NCP supports him amid the merger talks between the parties. Despite the lack of numbers, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule did not rule out the possibility of her father being nominated, claiming that an MVA meeting would be held soon to finalize a name.The seven members of the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra whose term is set to end on April 2 are Pawar, Fauzia Khan (NCP-SP), Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad (BJP), Patishil Patil (BJP), Athavale, Chaturvedi and Rajni Patil (Congress).In Bihar, elections will be held for five seats, three of which are ruled by the NDA, two with the JDU.The state’s main opposition RJD has just 25 MLAs, five short of the number needed to retain an RS berth, putting the combined strength of the alliance (Congress and Left) at 35. In this scenario, it will be extremely difficult for the RJD to repeat MPs and former Union Ministers Prem Ch and Gupta in the Upper House.In West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress is expected to win four of the five RS seats and the opposition BJP could get one seat.
