Despite political manoeuvres in Gujarat, Bihar, BJP still has a gap to close with Opposition in Rajya Sabha Polls. The BJP may have gained Bihar and may snatch a Congress Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat but the NDA coalition headed by it will still lag behind the opposition.
BJP is aiming at the seat held by Congress President Sonia Gandhi‘s political secretary Ahmed Patel.
After BJP’s Vinay Tendulkar defeated Congress’ Shantaram Naik in Rajya Sabha poll, it has grabbed one seat in Goa from Congress.
Six Congress MLAs have already ditched the party and one of them, Balwantsinh Rajput, has been pitted against Patel in the 8 August election. In case more MLAs defect, Patel’s fate may be sealed, which will give the BJP one more seat in the Upper House.
Though BJP has a prime minister whose party has a majority on its own in Lok Sabha for the first time in 30 years, a president of its choice but to have a majority in Rajya Sabha, the party may have to wait for the next round of elections.
There are two vacancies in the Upper House including the one left vacant by the resignation of BSP chief Mayawati.
The BJP is also set to win a seat in Madhya Pradesh in the vacancy caused by the death of union minister Anil Madhav Dave.
In the House of 245, the BJP has 57 members. Along with allies, NDA accounts for 101 members. This includes 13 of the AIADMK. On the opposition side, the Congress has 57 on its own. The others opposed to the government are 66 in number. Together the opposition accounts for 123 members.