NEW DELHI: The governing NDA is set to further strengthen its tally in the Upper House after biennial polls for 37 seats in Rajya Sabha on March 16, but the fate of prominent retiring members such as Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), Abhishek Manu Singhvi (Congress), Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A), Tiruchi Siva (DMK) and Priyanka Chaturvedi (Sena UBT) will depend on how their respective parties coordinate with their alliance partners.
BJP-led NDA’s tally is expected to cross 130 with the advantage of at least four additional members in Rajya Sabha, whose current strength is 243 with one vacancy each in Jharkhand and West Bengal.
The states where seats will be vacant in April are Maharashtra (7 seats), Tamil Nadu (6 ), West Bengal (5), Bihar (5 ), Odisha (4), Assam (3), Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Haryana (2 each), and Himachal Pradesh (1).
NDA has govts in six – Maharashtra, Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Assam – of the 10 states where seats will be vacant due to members retiring, giving it a clear advantage.
The opposition alliance has govts in Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal.
In Maharashtra, since the governing coalition, Mahayuti, is expected to secure six seats as against one by opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, it’s advantage NDA in the state.
On the other hand, MVA will see a lot of political maneuvering as the alliance will have to choose between the candidates of Sena UBT and NCP(SP). In case NCP(SP) sticks with Pawar, it is to be seen whether NCP extends his support to him amid talks of a merger of the factions.
Despite not having the numbers, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule didn’t rule out the possibility of nominating her father, claiming that a MVA meeting would be held soon to finalise a name.
The seven Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra whose terms are set to expire on April 2 are Pawar, Fauzia Khan (NCP-SP), Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad (BJP), Dhairyasheel Patil (BJP), Athawale, Chaturvedi and Rajani Patil (Congress).
In Bihar, polls will be held for five seats, three of which are held by governing NDA, including two by JDU.
RJD, the principal opposition party in the state, has only 25 MLAs, leaving the combined strength of the alliance (Congress and the Left) at 35 – five less than the number it would require to retain an RS berth. In this scenario, it would be extremely difficult for RJD to repeat MP and former Union minister Prem Ch-and Gupta in the Upper House.
In West Bengal, the governing Trinamool Congress is expected to win four of the five RS seats while the opposition BJP may secure one.
