BJP and Allies Gain Majority in Rajya Sabha with 12 New Members
Twelve candidates, including nine from BJP, two from its allies, and one from Congress, have been elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha. This gives the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a majority in the Upper House of Parliament, aiding in the smooth passage of bills.
Newly Elected Members
Among those elected unopposed are:
- Union Ministers Ravneet Singh Bittu from Rajasthan
- George Kurien from Madhya Pradesh
- Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi from Telangana
- Mission Ranjan Dass and Rameshwar Teli from Assam
- Manan Kumar Mishra from Bihar
- Kiran Chaudhary from Haryana
- Dhiryasheel Patil from Maharashtra
- Mamata Mohanta from Odisha
- Rajeeb Bhattacharjee from Tripura
- NCP’s Nitin Patil from Maharashtra
- Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha from Bihar
The NDA had support of 110 MPs before the results of Rajya Sabha polls, including nominated members, and this number has now gone up to 121. With the Upper House of Parliament now having 237 members, the majority mark is 119. There are eight vacancies including four from Jammu and Kashmir.
NDA’s majority mark in Rajya Sabha is expected to help the BJP get key legislations such as Waqf (Amendment) Bill passed smoothly in the Upper House of Parliament. The bill is being examined by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The BJP will now have 96 members in the Upper House and Congress 27. Ten Rajya Sabha seats fell vacant as the sitting members were elected to Lok Sabha in the general elections held earlier this year. Bypolls were also held for one seat each in Telangana and Odisha. The Election Commission earlier this month announced the schedule for the election to 12 vacant Rajya Sabha seats.
Doubts Revealed
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is one of the major political parties in India.
Rajya Sabha -: Rajya Sabha is the Upper House of the Parliament of India. It is like a council where important decisions and laws are discussed and approved.
Unopposed -: Unopposed means that no one else contested against them, so they were elected without any competition.
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) -: NDA is a group of political parties in India led by the BJP. They work together to form the government.
Upper House of Parliament -: The Upper House of Parliament in India is called the Rajya Sabha. It is one of the two houses that make laws for the country.
Union Ministers -: Union Ministers are members of the government who are in charge of different departments, like education or health.
Ravneet Singh Bittu -: Ravneet Singh Bittu is a politician and a member of the BJP who has been elected to the Rajya Sabha.
George Kurien -: George Kurien is another politician and a member of the BJP who has been elected to the Rajya Sabha.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi -: Abhishek Manu Singhvi is a leader from the Congress party, which is another major political party in India.
237-member Rajya Sabha -: The Rajya Sabha has a total of 237 members who help make important decisions for the country.
Majority mark of 119 -: In the Rajya Sabha, having more than half the members, which is 119, means having a majority. This helps in passing laws easily.
