JD(U)-BJP separation to affect NDA's numbers in RS
New Delhi: The Bihar political developments are now going to be a setback for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Upper House of the Parliament with its numbers. Nitish Kumar's JD(U) has five MPs including Deputy Chairperson Harivansh in the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP-led NDA never had a majority in the Rajya Sabha as per numbers even when JD(U) was a part of it. The current strength of the Rajya Sabha is 237. There are 8 vacancies - four from Jammu and Kashmir, one from Tripura and 3 to be nominated. The majority mark is 117. NDA's strength in Rajya Sabha is (114 - 5) 109, which includes five nominated MPs and 1 independent member. NDA still needs 8 more members to reach the majority mark.
In NDA, the BJP has 91 Rajya Sabha members while AIADM, SDF, RPI, AGP, PMK, Tamil Maanila Party, NPP, MNF, UPPL and Independent have one member each in the Upper House. The number of nominated members are 5.
The government can nominate 3 more MPs before the Winter Session and the BJP is likely to win one seat from the Northeast. However, even then, the NDA's strength will be 113.
On the other hand, the Opposition has a strength of 107, and now with the support of JD(U)'s 5 members, it will be 112, if all the members support. However, the number excludes members from YSRCP and BJD. Both parties have 9 members each in the Upper House. Congress has 31 members in the Rajya Sabha, while TMC and AAP have 13 and 10 members respectively. Other opposition parties like the BSP, CP, CPI (M), DMK and IUML have 1, 2, 5, 10, and 1 members respectively. While JDS has 1 member, the JMM, KCM, MDMK, NCP, RJD, RLD, SP, Shiv Sena, TDP and TRS have 2, 1, 1, 4, 6, 1, 3, 3, 1, 7 members respectively. There are 2 Independent members in the Opposition quarters.
However, now questions also rise over the Vice-Chairman post in the Upper House after JD(U) snapped the tie with BJP. There is a question over the continuation of Harivansh as Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha. Harivansh is an MP from the JD(U).
Sources said that he has already reached Patna and the discussion is still on. Political experts feel that there are three kinds of odds. The first being Harivansh, who can remain in his position and execute the opposition's agenda on the Floor of the House. Secondly, the BJP can look for an alternate candidate from either BJD or YSRCP, who have been supportive to NDA in major decisions, even during the recent Presidential elections or, lastly, they will wait till the Winter session. Earlier, Somnath Chatterjee had refused to step down as the Lok Sabha Speaker in 2008 after the CPM and the Left block withdrew outside support to the UPA-I government. The CPM, of which Chatterjee was an MP, had asked him to resign.
However, he did not oblige and said that the Speaker does not represent any political party in the discharge of his duties and functions, and that his election to the high office was unanimous as all political parties proposed his name. The CPM expelled him days later.
