Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: BJP’s stellar performance in West Bengal will give the party an advantage in the Upper House only after the next parliamentary polls as the earliest vacancies from the state would be reported in Aug 2029.Similarly in Tamil Nadu, the impact will be seen two years from now. The state assembly election results will help a new political entity enter the Upper House only in June, 2028 when the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) makes its debut by sending a minimum three of its members to Rajya Sabha at the cost of one member each from DMK, Congress and AIADMK.In any case, BJP’s overall MLA strength – which rose from 773 MLAs in Sept, 2013 to 1,798 in May, 2026 – will keep on increasing the party’s legislative footprint in the Upper House. It will eventually help NDA to reach two-third majority in Rajya Sabha if its winning streak is maintained in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat next year.On the other hand, Congress’s repeated losses in states will keep on decreasing its strength in the Upper House where the party’s tally currently stands at 29 against that of BJP at 113.Though Kerala’s results will make a dent to the Left parties’ number in the Upper House next year, it won’t affect the overall figures of INDIA bloc in Rajya Sabha as the Left’s loss would only give additional numbers to Congress.Similarly, All India NR Congress (AINRC)-led NDA victory in Puducherry will help NDA retain the lone seat from the Union territory when the vacancy arises there in Oct next year.Assam’s result also will not impact the Rajya Sabha math as much as BJP will continue to hold its ground with its repeat victory there.
