In last week’s Rajya Sabha elections, BJP saw a massive victory. The party can now boast of having 68 seats on its side. This is an increase of 10 seats from its previous tally of 58.
It was in UP that BJP saw the largest share in its victory winning 9 seats out of 10. BJP is moving closer and closer to having a majority in the house. The NDA government now has a total share of 86 seats in the 245 seat Rajya Sabha. Of the 33 candidates who were elected from 10 states, BJP contributed 16 candidates. The share might increase following the new vacancies that will emerge after April.
In Lok Sabha, the party has a majority on its own. With NDA partners in the Lok Sabha, it has 315 out of 540 seats. For a majority in the Rajya Sabha, the party needs the support of the AIADMK, BJP, TRS, and YSRC. This will take it up to 123 seats. Even though The BJP will be facing BJD in the 2019 Orissa state elections, the party has supported bills in the past. But 115 constituted by UP, the Left, and Trinamool Congress are bound to keep BJP at bay. 3 members are retiring next month giving the parties another opportunity to fill spots.
But things are not looking that bright where parties like TDP are locking horns with the BJP. Shiv Sena is neither here or there, they don’t support BJP but they are not siding with the Opposition either. SP, of course, is by no means on the side of BJP at this point in time and so is Akali Dal. While the win is an important milestone for BJP, they are still not in a comfortable majority to take bills lightly, the party will now have to hold its allies closer considering the fragmentation of political alliances across the country.