RS bypolls: 11 members elected unopposed, NDA secures majority

New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) achieved a significant milestone on Tuesday by reaching the majority mark in the Rajya Sabha following the unopposed election of eight BJP members and two allies to the upper house. With these new appointments, the BJP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha has risen to 95, while the NDA’s total now stands at 111 members.

The new members elected unopposed include Mission Ranjan Das and Rameshwar Teli from Assam, Manan Kumar Mishra from Bihar, Kiran Chadhary from Haryana, George Kurien from Madhya Pradesh, Dhirya Sheel Patil from Maharashtra, Mamata Mohanta from Odisha and Ravneet Singh Bittu from Rajasthan. Additionally, NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction’s Nitin Patil and Rashtriya Lok Manch’s Upendra Kushwaha were elected from Maharashtra and Bihar, respectively. Congress’s Abhishek Manu Singhvi was also elected unopposed from Telangana.

Tripura BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee is up against CPI(M)’s former MLA Sudhan Das from the state. Thus, while 11 candidates have been elected unopposed, the winner from the seat in Tripura will be decided by voting on September 3.

Currently, the Rajya Sabha has 245 seats, but eight positions remain vacant—four from Jammu and Kashmir and four nominated seats. With the current house strength at 237, the majority mark is 119. The NDA’s achievement comes after years of attempting to secure this majority. Historically, the significant Opposition presence in the Rajya Sabha has often impeded the progress of critical government legislation. However, with the NDA now holding a majority, the passage of such Bills is expected to become less challenging. Previously, the government had relied on support from non-aligned parties like Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal and YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress. However, with both parties experiencing a loss of power in their respective states—one to the BJP and the other to its ally Chandrababu Naidu—their support may no longer be reliable. The strengthened position of the NDA in the Rajya Sabha marks a new phase in its legislative strategy, potentially easing the path for future policy initiatives and reforms.