New Delhi: In a significant development, twelve Rajya Sabha seats have been filled unopposed, with nine of the successful candidates representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The other three seats were secured by candidates from the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – Ajit Pawar faction, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). The last date for the withdrawal of candidature in the Rajya Sabha bypolls was today, resulting in these unopposed elections.
This latest round of elections has further bolstered the BJP’s presence in the Rajya Sabha, raising its total to 96 seats. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), of which the BJP is the leading party, now commands 112 seats in the upper house.
The nine unopposed BJP candidates are Mission Ranjan Das and Rameshwar Teli from Assam, Manan Kumar Mishra from Bihar, Kiran Chaudhary from Haryana, George Kurien from Madhya Pradesh, Dhairyasheel Patil from Maharashtra, Mamta Mohanta from Odisha, Rajiv Bhattacharjee from Tripura, and Ravneet Singh Bittu from Rajasthan.
In addition, two MPs from NDA allies secured unopposed victories. Nitin Patil, representing the NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction, was elected from Maharashtra, while Upendra Kushwaha of the RLM was elected from Bihar.
The Congress also saw an increase in its Rajya Sabha representation, with Abhishek Manu Singhvi being elected unopposed from Telangana. This election raises the Congress party’s strength in the Rajya Sabha to 27 seats, crucially ensuring that it retains the position of Leader of the Opposition, which requires a minimum of 25 seats. The opposition’s total strength in the Rajya Sabha has now increased to 85 seats.
The Rajya Sabha, which has a total of 245 seats, currently has eight vacancies. Four of these are for nominated members, and the remaining four are from Jammu and Kashmir. With the current strength of 237 members in the House, the majority mark stands at 119. The unopposed elections were necessitated after several Rajya Sabha members were elected to the Lok Sabha, creating vacancies that have now been filled.
These unopposed elections highlight the political dynamics within the Rajya Sabha, as the BJP and its allies continue to consolidate their influence, while the Congress seeks to maintain its critical role as the main opposition party.
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