New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may have seen a decline in seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections, but it has secured a significant political foothold in Odisha. For the first time, the BJP has won control of the state assembly and made a clean sweep of the state’s Lok Sabha seats. This new regional stronghold could play a pivotal role in shaping the party’s strategy for national politics.
A notable development occurred with the resignation of Mamta Mohanta, a leader from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), from her Rajya Sabha membership. Her resignation, accepted promptly by the Rajya Sabha Chairman, is viewed as a strategic maneuver favoring the BJP. Mohanta, who became a Rajya Sabha MP in 2020, had her term set until 2026. However, she chose to step down two years early, in 2024, sparking speculation about her political future and potential alignment with the BJP.
With Mohanta’s departure, a Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha is now vacant. Given the current composition of the Odisha state assembly, the BJP is poised to win the by-election for this seat. Although the BJD dominates the state’s representation in the Rajya Sabha, holding nine out of ten seats, the BJP’s recent electoral success at the state level could translate into additional seats in the upper house of Parliament.
The BJP currently holds only one Rajya Sabha seat from Odisha. The potential for increasing its representation in the Rajya Sabha is crucial for the party, especially as it navigates the complexities of national legislation. The Rajya Sabha has 245 seats, with 225 currently occupied. The majority mark, therefore, stands at 113. The BJP and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies together have 101 seats, falling short of a majority.
The BJP’s focus on Odisha’s Rajya Sabha seats underscores the importance of bolstering its numbers in the upper house. The opposition, under the banner of the INDIA alliance, holds 87 seats, including 26 from the Congress, 13 from the Trinamool Congress, and 10 each from the Aam Aadmi Party and DMK. The rest are distributed among smaller allied parties.
Speculation is also rife about the potential alignment of Andhra Pradesh’s YSR Congress with the INDIA alliance. If the YSR Congress, which has 11 MPs, joins the opposition bloc, it could significantly bolster the opposition’s strength in the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP’s strategic moves in Odisha and potential gains in the Rajya Sabha are seen as efforts to counterbalance any shifts in the opposition’s strength. As the political landscape continues to evolve, the coming months will be critical for the BJP as it seeks to consolidate its position both regionally and nationally.
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