BJP's tally down to 86 in Rajya Sabha, NDA 12 below majority mark

Marking its first decline in several years, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's strength in the Rajya Sabha has dropped to 86 seats following the completion of the terms of four members on 13 July.

These members–Sonal Mansingh, Mahesh Jethmalani, Rakesh Sinha, and Ram Shakal–were nominated as non-aligned members by President Droupadi Murmu on the advice of the ruling party and subsequently allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) now holds 101 seats, falling short of the 245-member House's current majority of 113.

Currently, there are 19 vacancies in the Rajya Sabha.

Out of the 19 vacancies in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, four are from Jammu and Kashmir, where there is currently no assembly following its reorganization into a Union Territory in 2019.

The Election Commission (EC) has yet to announce the election date to fill the remaining vacancies.

The Congress party is aiming to win the lone seat in Telangana. BJP, with its substantial majority in Rajasthan is poised to capture the seat vacated by senior opposition member K C Venugopal, who recently won a Lok Sabha seat from Alappuzha in Kerala.

NDA anticipates securing two seats each in Bihar, Maharashtra, and Assam, as well as one seat each in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tripura.

Additionally, the four newly nominated members are expected to align with the treasury benches once appointed by the government. Although nominated members are typically independent regarding party affiliation in the House, they traditionally support the government's agenda.