After the Lok Sabha elections, now it is the turn of Rajya Sabha elections. The Election Commission has announced elections for 12 Rajya Sabha seats of nine states on Wednesday, August 7. Voting is to be held on September 3 for two Rajya Sabha seats each from Maharashtra, Assam and Bihar and one Rajya Sabha seat each from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura, Telangana and Odisha. Congress and its led Bharat Alliance, which performed better in the 2024 elections, may suffer a setback in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP-led NDA alliance may benefit.
10 out of 12 seats in Rajya Sabha are vacant
In the 9 states of the country where the dates for the elections have been announced, 10 out of 12 Rajya Sabha seats have become vacant due to the victory in the Lok Sabha elections. Apart from this, seats have become vacant after Telangana's Dr. Keshav Rao left BRS and joined Congress and Odisha's Mamta Mohanta left BJD and joined BJP. In this way, seven Rajya Sabha seats from BJP's quota and two from Congress' quota have become vacant, while RJD, BRS and BJD have one Rajya Sabha seat each. In such a situation, the question arises that if we look at the number of MLAs in the 6 states of the country where 10 Rajya Sabha seats are vacant, then NDA seems to have an upper hand. However, only its allies can pose a challenge to BJP, because in both Bihar and Maharashtra, BJP can increase its numbers with the help of allies. BJP is sure to win seven Rajya Sabha seats, but it is expected that it will contest elections in Maharashtra, Bihar and Haryana.
On which seat can the party gain advantage from BJP?
In the Rajya Sabha elections, BJP can easily win one seat each from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura and Odisha and two from Assam. The number of assembly members in these states is in favor of BJP, due to which the victory of the party is certain. RJD and BJP can win one seat each in Bihar, but there is a possibility of fierce competition on the seats of Maharashtra and Haryana, because there is not much difference between BJP and opposition parties in the assembly. There are assembly elections in both these states, due to which the Rajya Sabha elections are being considered as semi-finals. BJP will easily win one seat in Bihar and can win one seat in Maharashtra. In this way, BJP can get the benefit of one seat.
Two Rajya Sabha seats of Congress are vacant
Two Rajya Sabha seats of Congress are vacant, one from Rajasthan and one from Haryana. Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan KC Venugopal has now been elected as Lok Sabha MP, while Rajya Sabha member from Haryana Deepender Hooda has won the Lok Sabha elections. The number of MLAs in the Rajasthan Assembly is in favor of BJP, due to which its victory is certain. There is not much difference between BJP and Congress in Haryana, due to which both are in the mood to try their luck in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Congress will compensate for the loss in Rajasthan!
Congress will compensate for the loss in Rajasthan from Telangana because it has the numbers game in the assembly there. In such a situation, Congress will have to win one more seat to maintain its old figures. For this, their eyes will be on the seats of Haryana and Maharashtra. In both these states, Congress will not only have to work hard but will also have to make a dent in the votes of the opposition, only then victory will be certain. Both the Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra are vacant from BJP's quota, due to which it will contest the elections. In such a situation, it has to be decided among the Indian alliances as to who will contest the elections on their behalf. If Congress gets this seat, then it will have to maintain the trust of the MLAs of Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar's party.
What is the total number of MPs in Rajya Sabha?
The total number of MPs in Rajya Sabha is 245. There are currently 225 MPs in Rajya Sabha, while 20 seats are vacant, so the majority figure is 114. Among the vacant seats, 4 seats are from Jammu and Kashmir and 4 seats are of nominated members. Apart from these four Rajya Sabha seats, elections are being held on the remaining 12 seats. BJP has 86 seats in Rajya Sabha and NDA along with its allies has 101 seats. In this way, NDA is 13 seats behind the majority figure. At the same time, the opposition group has 87 seats and others have 28 seats.