NDA’s march towards majority in RS to be hit by poll results

New Delhi: The BJP-led NDA’s march towards a majority in the Rajya Sabha is likely to be hit in view of the Assembly election results from Haryana and Maharashtra.

The BJP, which was expecting a rise in its tally in Haryana from 47 in the outgoing Assembly, has returned with a reduced number of seats at 40.

Similarly, the party was looking for more seats in Maharashtra than the previous figure of 122 but got 17 lesser than that.

At the same time, the Congress has improved its tally in Haryana from 15 to 31 and its ally in Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) increased its number from 41 in the outgoing Assembly to 54.

This will definitely affect the BJP’s calculations as far as its numbers are concerned in the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA coalition led by it is short of majority.

In the 245-member Rajya Sabha, the BJP has 82 members and along with its allies, the strength is 116, 7 short of the majority mark.

The numbers from Haryana and Maharashtra will come into play when elections to the Rajya Sabha seats take place next year and in 2022.

Elections are due for two Rajya Sabha seats from Haryana next year and then two more in 2022.

The Upper House of Parliament will also have elections to seven seats from Maharashtra next year and six in 2022. Of these 13 seats, the NDA has got seven at present and the Congress-NCP has five.

Haryana sends 5 members to the Upper House of Parliament while Maharashtra sends 19 members.

From Haryana, the BJP at present has three members and one Independent supported by it. The Congress has one member.

Of the 19 members from Maharashtra, the NDA has got 11 and the Congress-NCP has 7.

According to the rules, each member to be elected to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana needs votes from 30 MLAs, while 36 legislators of Maharashtra elect one member to the Upper House of Parliament.

Accordingly, if elections to both the seats from Haryana are held simultaneously next year, the BJP will be able to elect only one of its choice since it has only 40 MLAs, unless it manages cross-voting and secure support of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and 8 Independents.

Similarly in the new Maharashtra Assembly, the combined strength of the NDA is 163 MLAs, which will mean it can elect only 4 members from the 13 seats at stake next year, if elections to all these seats are held simultaneously. The same situation will prevail in 2022 too.

IANS