The ruling NDA’s strength in the Upper House has increased further after the elections for 26 Rajya Sabha seats. The NDA won a total of 19 seats, taking its tally to 150, and is now just 13 seats away from achieving a two-thirds majority. This marks the first time the NDA is gradually moving towards a two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha. This is also the first time it has achieved the 150-seat mark. In the recent elections, the NDA won 19 seats, while the Congress-led India Alliance secured six seats. One seat went to the Mizoram-based party, the Zoram People’s Movement.
The Upper House of Parliament has a total of 245 seats, and the two-thirds majority mark is 163. Thus, the BJP-led NDA is just 13 seats away. Before these elections, the NDA had only 148 MPs, but after the results, this figure increased by two. BJP-backed Parimal Nathwani won one seat in Jharkhand. Cross-voting among the state’s MLAs led to Nathwani’s victory. This result has sparked controversy within the opposition India Alliance. The Congress claims that its candidate, Pranav Jha, failed to secure the votes of six RJD and CPI-ML MLAs, leading to his defeat.
The RJD and CPI-ML, meanwhile, are demanding that the Congress introspect. The India Alliance was confident of winning both Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, but the results have raised questions about its strategy. There is also talk of overconfidence. Another significant change in this election is that for the first time, a regional party from Mizoram has secured a Rajya Sabha seat.
Zoram People’s Movement candidate K. Laltluangkima has been elected to the Upper House. Results for 24 seats were announced on June 11th. There were no elections here, and 24 MPs were elected unanimously. Of these, the NDA won 19 and the opposition won five.