BJP first party since 1988 to cross 100-seat mark in Rajya Sabha

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become the first party since 1988 to touch the 100-seat mark in the Rajya Sabha with the results of biennial elections to the Upper House.

The rise of BJP numbers in the House has been accompanied by a decline in Congress numbers as the opposition party has lost a string of assembly polls since 2014. The loss of Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party in the recent assembly polls has further brought down Congress numbers and the party will be close to losing the status of Leader of Opposition that its leader has in the House, by July this year.

The BJP and NDA’s growing strength in Rajya Sabha is also likely to translate into the government legislation having a smoother passage in the upper House.

In Himachal Pradesh, BJP candidate Dr Sikandar Kumar was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha. The party now has all seats from the state in the Upper House of Parliament.

S Phangnon Konyak, who is the president of BJP Nagaland unit’s Mahila Morcha, was also elected unopposed to the Upper House. She is the first Rajya Sabha MP of the BJP from Nagaland.

BJP Tripura president Manik Saha won the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the state on Thursday, becoming the first member of the BJP from the state in the Upper House.

BJP and Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) MLAs cast their votes in favour of Saha and he left his rival candidate Bhanu Lal Saha far behind in the race.

BJP and its ally United People’s Party Liberal won the two Rajya Sabha seats in Assam for which polling was held. For the first time, Congress will have no Rajya Sabha MP from Assam.

The polls later this year in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and next year in Karnataka will be vital for Congress to also shore up its numbers in Rajya Sabha.